Marco van Noord, Jan Verbaarschot, Gilbert Heijens, Peter Schoenmakers, Wilbert van Oers and Ton van Kessel of Horti-Consult International visited South Africa last month. The team of crop consultants goes on an annual trip. The destination South Africa had long been on the wish list to visit.
Enza Zaden
The first company visited was Enza. "There we were welcomed in their center for innovations. Enza is strong in onions in South Africa, but also in lettuce and melons. The breeds and varieties are different from those in the Netherlands. Resistance, kilos, and shelf life are more important than taste. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is one of the problems in the country. Whitefly is not too bad, Tuta is a bigger problem. So far, no outbreak of TBRV virus has been observed in South Africa."
The price of tomatoes has been good this year. Finding outlets for the product is the biggest challenge. Most growers have several crops to spread risks. Growers mostly raise their own produce. There are only a few plant breeders. Biological control is used at the Enza site. Bumblebees are forbidden to use. Water quality is generally poor in Africa: lots of iron and salt.
Rennie Farms - Paarl
The second stop was at a nursery of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. The farm was founded 50 years ago. The intention was to start a cucumber business here. Currently, cultivation takes place on 25 hectares in Paarl. One produces tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and peppers. Another cultivation site is in Namibia with an area of 75 hectares.
Rennie Farms has been the largest supplier to supermarket Woolworths for many years. One does not grow vine tomatoes as this is not possible without bumblebee pollination. The town of Val de Vie is nearby. The most expensive houses in the region are here, and therefore, the price of land here is high.
At Rennie Farms, 43% of the shares have been given to 100 employees. The company employs about 1,200 workers a day. The company owns about 20 trucks to take the produce to the distribution centre.
The greenhouse costs 4 million rand, €200,000, - per ha. One grows 3 rounds of cucumber, with a planting distance of 2.6 plants per square metre. That gives a production of 150.
The tomatoes were planted on 9 September. 12 bunches are kept. After that, new cultivation starts. In capsicum, green and red are grown.
They are grown in bags of sawdust, where the young plants are set up in blocks. Each plant has a sampler and a dripper. The drain water is collected through a gutter, but not reused, not in these crops, but in crops outside in the field.
The company packs all their produce themselves. Through close cooperation with retail, tailor-made packaging is produced including labels with the requested specifications of the respective supermarket. Besides the standard packaging, a large number of products are also supplied in 500g bags.
Organic cultivation is used on the farm as much as possible, but crop protection products are also applied. Tuta absoluta is definitely a threat to tomato cultivation, despite the use of pheromones. Due to low costs, yields are high. As a result, they achieve a profit of 28%.
Zetlers - Strawberry and vegetable nursery
At this nursery, they grow strawberries on 85 hectares, in low-tech plastic tunnels, 2 hectares of tomatoes, 2 hectares of peppers, and also cannabis. The latter is permitted for medicinal use.
In this area, it does make it a little more difficult to set up tunnels because the surrounding businesses object a lot to this company and its operations. While no building permits are required.
Strawberries are grown on beds about 30 cm high. Each bed is fitted with plastic tunnels, which are taken off during harvesting. Plastic is applied over the bed against weeds, into which the plants are planted. Under the plastic is a t-tape for watering. These hoses are fed from the unit room. Four large pumps, controlled by Priva computer, provide the water supply where fertilizer is also added directly.
Due to the height difference on the plot, there is erosion. The sand washes down to the valley with the row. Several times a year, the sand is returned from the valley to the top of the hill.
Due to the low river level, the PH became too high (too high bicarbonate, HCO3). The EC was also too high. An osmosis system could be a solution here, Horti-Consult's consultants think.
The company wants to switch to greenhouses in the future to improve strawberry cultivation. It has now started leveling 10 ha of land.
Olivedale - Wine farm
Five Belgian entrepreneurs decided several years ago to start a wine farm together. After a long search, they started a 50-hectare vineyard on unused land. After land surveys, a plan was made as to what type of grape to grow on certain land. After explaining the cultivation, there was time for a wine tasting.
"We were very warmly welcomed by Karl. He knew how to tell a nice story with each wine. An extraordinary man who has been walking around barefoot for 25 years to keep better contact with the earth."
On the farm, 112,000 grape plants of different varieties have been planted. A year then yields 84,000 bottles of wine. The wine is sold all over the world. This winery has already won several awards.
Oprins - Bamboo and mandarins
Oprins is a company based in Rijkevorsel (BE) with a subsidiary in South Africa. At this company, they grow bamboo plants of different varieties for sale. Besides bamboo, they grow mandarins on the rest of the available land. Prices have been very low in recent years. The trees are planted in orchards just like apples and pears.
Stellenbosch University
At the university, the men visited a Dutch greenhouse. Through a collaboration of several companies and the Ministry of Agriculture, a greenhouse has been built here. A modern plastic greenhouse, equipped with the latest technology. Cucumbers are grown in this greenhouse. These had just been planted. The greenhouse uses misting to lower the temperature.
At this university, 30,000 students from various fields of study are studying. The horticulture department uses the new greenhouse to teach students to grow vegetables in greenhouses. Furthermore, it is possible to learn different cultivation options. Trials are mainly carried out here. These trials are supported by the surrounding businesses. In this way, they hope to get young people excited about horticulture and vegetable growing.
Fall Creek - blueberry propagator
This company deals with blueberry breeding. They have company locations in various places around the world and so also in the Netherlands, in Meterik.
Blueberries are generally picked by hand. The plants are protected by net greenhouses. India is a big buyer. It offers greenhouses and opportunities for the future. In Zimbabwe, blueberries are grown by Fall Creek. The start of a berry crop is very slow. In the first year, there is no harvest yet, in the second year they harvest 1 kilo per plant, and this increases year by year to 5 kilos per plant. A blueberry bush lasts about 10 years. They are currently expanding in Morocco.
In conclusion, after their tour of South Africa, the cultivation consultants state, "South Africa is a very beautiful, green country with many opportunities. Land and property are still relatively cheap, but prices are rising fast. To cultivate, it is important to have water rights. It is also important for the future that Africans also participate in the business."
For more information:
Horti-Consult International
[email protected]
www.horti-consult.nl