Ouplaas is an exceptional farm in the Witzenberg Valley. More impressive is that many of the inhabitants are runners. No, not running away, but running to be better at what they do. Breaking records in all sorts of events. Maybe…
Text: Lucille Botha André Kritzinger (28), owner and general manager of Tulpieskraal Boerdery in the Langkloof, has been named the Eastern Cape Young Farmer of the Year for 2025. For Kritzinger, the recognition is a significant milestone. “I’ve always looked…
By Lucille Botha Six years after its debut on the international stage, South Africa’s homegrown apple brand, Flash Gala, has reached a remarkable milestone. Over one million cartons of this sought-after variety were exported for the first time in a…
With approximately half of all apples marketed by Tru-Cape sold in Africa, the fruit exporter continues to stay ahead of shifting consumer preferences and developments in the continent’s fresh fruit industry. “Twenty years ago, Granny Smith, Top Red, and…
South Africa is rapidly establishing itself as the leading and preferred source of Pink Lady apples from the Southern Hemisphere. According to Kantar data, Pink Lady sales in the United Kingdom (UK) have risen by 13% over the past year,…
Sixteen years after Thailand banned the import of South African deciduous fruit, due to an administrative error, negotiations are progressing in the right direction. At the time of the imposition of the ban on the exportation of South African fresh…
Due to adverse weather events like hail and floods earlier in the year, Hortgro has revised its export forecasts for the 2023 season. The estimated export volume for apples is 40.883 million cartons (12.5 kilograms per carton), showing a 10%…
By Waheed Mahomed The past few years have been a time of instability that many people find unfamiliar and leave us feeling insecure. Instability often leads to an increase in uncertainty, discourages investment and negatively impacts any product or system…
Notification issued by the Government of India opens new opportunities for Indian importers to increase volumes The Government of India has approved in-transit cold treatment for South African apple and pear exports to India. The advantage of the cold treatment…
Lox, stock and barrel Loxtonia cider of Ceres’ story by Gerrit Rautenbach. “The fact that we started making cider is because we’ve got sun in South Africa. An abundance of sun. Resulting in a high percentage of sunburn and related…
Members of Hortgro Science’s entomological team visited the Langkloof area in April to follow up on damage to pears possibly caused by sucking insects. Matthew Addison, Crop Protection Programme Manager, and Dr Minette Karsten, a researcher in applied entomology, met…
By Kara van der Berg Hortgro’s Dr Xolani Siboza’s first MScAgric student, Dian Craven, graduated from Stellenbosch University on 4 April. Dr Siboza is a Hortgro-seconded researcher in the Department of Horticultural Science at Stellenbosch University where Craven conducted his study…