Hortgro’s Mentor and Internship Programme, through the Skills Accelerator Programme

The Hortgro Mentor and Internship Programme offered participants a learning opportunity outside their usual internship placements. 35 interns took part in a guided visit to a wide range of sites, initiatives, and facilities.

The morning started at the Pro-Hort testing orchard at Boland Agricultural High School (Hoër Landbouskool Paarl) in Windmeul, Paarl.  Established in 2018, this independent testing site evaluates deciduous fruit under local environmental conditions. Funded by Hortgro and managed with Provar, it provides research data to help commercial growers minimise risk when introducing new varieties. Visiting a site like this offers agricultural interns practical exposure to varietal evaluation, scientific research, and long-term farm management strategy.

The next stop was the FruitFly Africa (FFA) facility based in Stellenbosch. This is the primary mass-production centre for managing fruit fly populations in South Africa’s key fruit-growing regions. The interns gained exposure to large-scale biological pest control and international market compliance. The facility tour sparked a conversation about the impact of timely pest management on the entire Crop-to-Cash Cycle.

The last stop was Babylonstoren, a live case study in value-add farming and diversified business operations. This visit expands an intern’s mindset by showing how farm practices, tree shaping, and crop selection can directly unlock alternative revenue streams through agritourism.

This type of information day connects academic training with field operations, introducing participants to agricultural research, biosecurity, and farm diversification. Stepping outside their daily farm routines, interns can see how fruit variety testing reduces financial risk, how biological pest control protects export markets, and how tree training and agritourism create additional revenue. For the fruit industry, these visits prepare future farm managers to navigate biosecurity and market access challenges while supporting long-term industry growth.