How an SA producer grows 70 000t of citrus a year
Mahela Group is a third-generation farming business in Limpopo. Eddie Vorster, director of the company’s citrus division, spoke to Magda du Toit about the strategies and farming practices they follow...
Micro-cloning powers SA avocado production
Allesbeste Nursery, established in the 1980s, has been expanded many times. Yet the end is still not in sight, according to Zander Ernst, the company’s director of marketing and production....
Optimal irrigation for perfect blueberries
Since blueberry cultivation requires a lot of water, making every drop count is key to the sector’s survival in a water-stressed country like South Africa. Farmer Wikus Strauss spoke to...
Survival strategies of farmers in the Langkloof
Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, South Africa's largest exporter of apples and pears, hosted a media visit to the Langkloof to meet with its producers. Two of these farmers spoke to Glenneis...
The rise of macadamia production in KZN
The macadamia industry is making inroads into what have traditionally been sugar cane areas. From Malelane in Mpumalanga to Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal, cane is being replaced by nuts as farmers...
Kiwifruit: South Africa’s golden opportunity
After the failure of local green kiwifruit production in the 1980s, a new group of farmers is hopeful that golden kiwis will become a South African success story. One such...
Getting to the root of declining pecan yields
The yields of mature pecan nut orchards are failing to reach optimal levels, and concerned producers have been searching high and low to find answers, investigating everything from foliar applications...
The game-changing passion fruit cultivar developed in SA
Mpumalanga-based granadilla breeder Darryn Stoltz has developed a delicious new passion fruit cultivar that offers several advantages over previous varieties. One of these is longer shelf life, enabling the export...
Farmers’ markets: much more than sales outlets
The humble farmers’ market has gone from being a place where farmers can sell their produce to a platform that strengthens, educates and enriches communities. For food activists, it also...
Promising new mango, kiwi and passion fruit cultivars
Looking for a different crop to grow in the Western Cape? At the Subtropical and Minor Crop Workshop held last year, Glenneis Kriel spoke to a number of experts about...
Precision irrigation boosts yield on Mpumalanga citrus farm
Plan, execute, control and verify. These are the four elements that constitute the irrigation approach of Indigo Fruit Farming in Mpumalanga, where every drop of water is used to its...
New cultivar excels on historic citrus farm
According to Errol Hewson, director of Riverside Kat River Farm, the relatively unknown Orri mandarin cultivar is shaping the future of the enterprise’s citrus production.
Profiting from apples: why quality trumps yield
The Zulch family of Wakkerstroom farm won the prize for the highest average income per hectare of apples in the 2020 Ceres Fruit Grower Awards. Fourie Zulch spoke to Glenneis...
Guava cultivar programme aims to reinvigorate industry
The Agricultural Research Council is undertaking various trials aimed at making guava production more profitable. Glenneis Kriel spoke to Salomie Willemse and Chris Smith, experts involved in the programme.
Proper pruning: key to pecan grower’s success
Pecan farming is still in its infancy in South Africa, but with the global demand for nuts increasing, more producers are seeing opportunities to diversify their farms with pecans. Lindi...
The fungi that saved a farmer’s avocado orchards
Faced with wilting, unproductive avocado trees, Limpopo farmer Christa Rebel decided to replace them with another crop. In the meantime, however, she planted strawberries on the orchard floor. Then, serendipitously,...
Stable mango yields: timing is everything
Achieving yield stability over many years is the golden standard in mango farming. But this is easier said than done: success requires a keen understanding of the demands of mango...
Macadamias: switching to machine harvesting
Harvesting macadamia nuts is highly labour-intensive, and Braam de Kock’s Lowveld farm is no exception. Tired of the stress of managing a large workforce, De Kock finally opted for mechanisation,...
How to make a success of bananas
The humble banana is usually taken for granted by consumers, but growing this popular fruit can be tricky, expensive and involve considerable risk. Having top-performing banana plantations starts with the...
Carmingo apricots breathe new life into Koo Valley
The arrival of Carmingo apricot varieties enables producers to generate up to three times more income per season than with traditional varieties. Glenneis Kriel spoke to Pierre Burger and Sam...
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