South Africa: Nice development of stone fruit during warm and sunny spring in the Cape

Published 2022년 11월 11일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the positive effects of a warmer than usual spring in the Western Cape of South Africa on stone fruit exports. The region has experienced increases in harvests of plums, nectarines, peaches, and apricots, with the plum harvest seeing a 4% increase to 86,000 tons and nectarine exports rising by 15% to 23,650 tons. The warm spring has also resulted in sweeter stone fruit. The delay in winter rains led wild bees and other pollinators to forage in plum orchards, contributing to exceptional fruit set. Despite the increased rainfall, hail storms have been reported, underscoring the importance of netting in fruit cultivation. With rising costs, growers are shifting towards using more organic fertilizers and reducing chemical use. The article emphasizes the need for quality control in exporting, as there is no room for error in a tight market.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

A spring that was warmer than usual, with heat and earlier sunshine, had some pleasant side effects in the stone fruit orchards of the Western Cape. As a result, stone fruit exports are estimated to be higher than last year for the entire sector: the plum harvest of 86,000 tons is 4% higher than last year with a 15% increase in nectarine exports (23,650 tons). The estimated peach harvest is 6,550 tons (an increase of 4%) and for apricots Hortgro expects an export increase of 9% to 3,085 tons. Good news for apricot lovers after a few mediocre years. "This is the first week of packing all 4 stone fruit varieties," said Charl Stander, technical manager at Freshness First in Franschhoek, and the crops are looking beautiful due to the warm and dry spring. The plum varieties African Rose, Suplum 41 and Suplum 25 are currently being harvested. From now on, the plum volumes are increasing and the first sea freights of plums are loaded. Charl notes that a number of people have already told ...

Source: AGF