South African fruit company Tru-Cape expects its cherry production to fall by around 50% this season compared with last year, after unusual weather during flowering, Food for Mzansi reported on 31 October. The fruit that did set is the best the company has seen.
Calla du Toit, procurement director at Tru-Cape Fruit, said many of the early cherries flowered during an exceptionally hot week at the end of August. "We believe the heat shortened the effective pollination window, resulting in poor fruit set," he said. Cold weather followed the heat and may have caused some cold damage as well. The harvest also came earlier than in previous years.
Quality, however, is high. "The cherries are looking beautiful, and we are seeing sizes of up to 30 mm for the first time," Du Toit said, adding that sugar levels are very high. A smaller crop, he said, means pickers can take each cherry at its best maturity, with enough labour to do it.
One of the company's largest packing facilities, at Witzenberg Properties, is handling the fruit. Tru-Cape supplies large retailers where demand for cherries is strong, including Food Lover's Market, Freshmark and Pick n Pay, and expects cherries to be in shops for the festive season despite the lower volumes.
Sales director Johan Brink said the company exported about 15% of its cherry crop last year and had hoped to lift that to 20% this season. With a smaller crop and strong local prices, he said, export decisions will have to be weighed carefully against the risks and costs.
Photo: Ermell / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Food for Mzansi
Comments
(0)