Monitoring is the first step in managing pests and preventing fruit damage. Here’s advice on how this should be done. For fruit farming to be successful, you need to know as soon as a pest appears in your orchards, so that something can be done before it is too late.…
The demand for apples remains high the world over. Here are some basic guidelines to produce this popular fruit. The main wild apple species, whose genetic composition contributes to modern apple cultivars, originated in Central Asia. Marco Polo’s journeys to the East and the establishment of the silk routes led…
Fruit flies are among the most damaging pests to fruit. Using baits should be an integral part of managing them holistically. Fruit fly baits are often not used, or not used with sufficient attention or urgency. For this reason, the fruit industry has compiled baiting guidelines for farmers and contractors.…
Farmers often find that some of their fruit trees bear poor quality fruit, or do not produce any fruit at all. Instead of removing these trees, farmers should rather determine the reasons for the poor performance. There can be many reasons why fruit trees or vines are not producing optimally.…
We’ve seen that successful fresh produce marketing is a lot like going to school… starting at the bottom and working through the grades, gaining knowledge and experience as we go. In this article we look at the next important ‘grade’. The step up from the previous marketing options we covered…
Any serious farmer wants to get the best and most out of every production unit. Here 3 of marketing choices for a fresh produce farmer. Marketing fruit and vege¬tables is a bit like going to school… you have to start at the bottom and work your way up to “qualify”…
Pears need cold winters and dry, hot summers. They flower before apples, and are susceptible to late frost. Nearly every cultivar needs a cross pollinator that flowers at the same time as the main scion cultivar to ensure fruit set and good production. Bees are the main pollinating agent and…
It usually takes more than 4 years before new fruit orchards yield commercially viable crops. Entering this sector should, therefore, be planned well. Here are some factors to consider. Fruit farming can be profitable and rewarding because fruit is essential to the human diet. But it is a highly competitive…
Question: I’m interested in producing cherries. Do you have any advice? Cherry production is a high-risk enterprise as it is a complex crop to grow and there is limited available expertise. There are two kinds of cherries; the sweet cherry and the sour, tart or pie cherry. Only sweet cherry…
The Egyptian government has ordered all strawberry and pepper exporters to register their farms and print all sourcing and export data on their packaging to enable traceability in case problems arise with shipments. The decision follows a ban on the import of Egyptian oranges, peppers and strawberries by the Kingdom…
WB Chambers is negotiating for new berry farming partnerships in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Morocco to meet demand from a new British supermarket chain. Chambers Production Director Salih Hodzhov told Fruitnet that it also wants to secure additional berry producer and import deals with Spanish and Moroccan farmers. “We are having a…
The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has tightened inspection procedures for export fruit following threats by the European Union (EU) and Saudi Arabia to curtail Egyptian imports due to high pesticide contamination. In a statement issued on 30 December, the ministry said the move was meant to increase…
Drying is one of the oldest, easiest and cheapest methods of preserving food. Several fruits, vegetables and herbs can be stored this way with great success for later use in soup, stews and puddings. Fruit and vegetables that are dried and stored carefully retain most of their nutritional value. As…
Tree farmer Robby Zulu went by the old adage that if you love what you do, you stand a better chance of making a success, and that is why he turned his hobby into a business. Robby (36) spent the early part of his life close to an agricultural training…
Alexious Shoko was a trained agricultural advice official in Zimbabwe before coming to South Africa to seek a better opportunity – and that he did on a fruit farm in the Western Cape. In January 2016, he was crowned the Western Cape’s Agricultural Worker of the Year. Alexious describes the…
Biocontrols are quickly becoming essential to delivering fruit and vegetables that satisfy the ever-increasing demand for food raised with fewer traditional chemical inputs. To learn more about this growing segment within the industry, Meister Media Worldwide, a global agricultural media company, has partnered with South African Bioproducts Organization (SABO) to…
By producing organic vegetables, fruits, chickens, eggs and pork in Zambia's Kafue district with holistic management methods, Sebastian Scott earns a substantial premium for his products from retailers and families in the country's capital, Lusaka. So much so that he could grow from a micro farmer whose products were transported…
South Africa’s Land Bank wants to provide R1 billion worth of finance to black entrepreneurs in the 2018 financial year to invest in predetermined agricultural products like fruit and nuts. CEO TP Nchocho said the bank also wants to invest R500 million in specific food and agricultural processing industries which…
The Emirates Airline has launched Skyfresh, an export solution for Zambian horticultural producers. In a statement, the airline says Skyfresh combines its state of the art cargo infrastructure hub in Dubai to ensure perishables like fruit, vegetables and flowers retain their freshness to export destinations. “Unique features will include prioritised…
A simple yet effective gadget that reflected light helped this farmer to prevent birds from damaging his fruit. On Mr. Manie van Zyl’s farm Plaatkop the birds used to pick off the apricot flowers and eat the fruit every year. Traditional scarecrows, like the boom canon or die doll with…
