Don’t dump fresh produce!
A small-scale farmer recently told me that he supplied spinach to a client on contract, and sent his surplus spinach to the market.
Adding value to your fresh produce
If only some farmers realised that it takes remarkably little effort to improve product presentation – and get a higher price as a result.
Common onion diseases to watch out for
A number of onion diseases are highly destructive and all prospective onion growers can benefit from knowing about them.
Staying competitive at the markets
I paid an early morning visit to the Joburg Market recently. It was an icy Tuesday, and the place was hectic.
Cutworm and thrips – common onion pests
The infamous cutworm occurs in all vegetable crops, including onions, yet still seems to catch farmers by surprise.
Are market agents relevant?
Those who believe that market agents are no longer relevant remind us that more than 50 years ago, when supermarkets started buying directly from farmers, markets and market agents did nothing...
Marketing options for small-scale onion growers
For the small-scale onion grower, it pays to stay in production as long as possible in order to satisfy a local rural market.
Excelling at customer services
Four years ago, the Imasa introduced an award for a market, market agency or fresh produce-related business that had excelled in customer services.
How to correctly fertilise onions
Fertilising vegetables is not like baking a cake, where we get a consistent result as long as we follow the recipe. With vegetables, we have to deal with different soils...
Quality skills at the markets
In days gone by, it was common practice for a youngster to work alongside his father or uncle in a market agency and learn the trade in that way.
Is ‘ugly produce’ a new trend?
‘Ugly produce’, it seems, is finding its way onto retail shelves around the world.
The cavity seedling option
An alternative to the traditional seedbed method for transplants is to use seedling trays. One advantage of this is that you can place the trays in a warmer environment if...
