Vegetables

Starting as a farm labourer at the age of 10, with no formal education, Ntuseni Nesane became a leading black commercial farmer and an award-winning tomato producer. The University of...

Market agents, by the very nature of their occupations – they represent producers in a financial capacity – have a law especially written to regulate their activities and protect the...

When planting any pumpkin, marrow, gem or other Cucurbitaceae, it’s important to get the spacing right. Get it wrong, and you could lose 50% or more of your yield.

I’m sure most readers find it perplexing if the management of a business spends precious money on ‘beautification’ when the basic infrastructure is crumbling into non-existence.

It’s extremely risky to plant tomatoes in the open in areas where hail and three-day spells of rain are common.

Bacterial diseases are extremely difficult to control and can be very destructive in tomatoes (and other crops).

One of the stipulations of Act 12 of the 1992 Agricultural Produce Agents Act is that a market agency must comply with the requirements of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council...

The other day, a market agent told me about a supposedly ‘loyal’ producer who had decided to bypass him and supply directly to an unnamed buyer in the same town,...

We have already discussed bacterial wilt which sees the leaves and growing tip of an apparently healthy plant hanging due to lack of water.

‘VAC’ is my acronym. It stands for ‘visibility, availability and credibility’, and refers to the need for a market manager (MM) to be on the market floor as frequently as...

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is a fungus in a hurry, and may already have done much damage if you’re not awake and watching out for the conditions which favour it.

Leaf miners need not be the threat they were when originally introduced.

Being a market manager (MM) on a fresh produce market is a hands-on business and not about skulking in sumptuous offices. Unfortunately, far too many of our current crop of...

As if the challenges of growing tomatoes aren’t enough, tomato farmers seem to be constantly subjected to new pests and diseases.

We spoke about the fiduciary relationship between producer and market agent in the previous issue and focused on the producer. This week we turn the spotlight on the market agent.

Bacterial wilt can be a devastating disease in tomatoes. I’ve seen whole crops destroyed, and if you’re farming in a warm area where the disease is prevalent, it’s worth knowing...

Early blight (Alternaria solani) is a fungal disease that every tomato grower should know about. It’s sometimes referred to as ‘target spot’ as it forms concentric rings reminiscent of a...

Last week I wrote about the all-important fiduciary relationship between producer and market agent. Now I’d like to offer a few suggestions to both parties as to how to make...

There are now two species of powdery mildew which attack tomatoes in South Africa. The most common is Leveillula taurica. The spores don’t need water to germinate and it is...

The fiduciary responsibility carried by market agents remains the most crucial requirement of their relationship with producers.