Drought: cuts on agricultural water quotas not the solutionThe current drought in the Western Cape has serious implications for the farming of deciduous fruit crops.According to Anton Rabe, HORTGRO’s Executive Director, the current problem cannot only be solved by cuts on agricultural water quotas.“The whole community will have to re-think their water usage, alternative water resources must be unlocked, and recycling of water should be phased in. Water policies will have to change and dams must be enlarged to save more winter rainfall. Read more: http://bit.ly/2qwOOgu

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 15

31 may 2017

HORTGRONEWSGROWING FRUIT IQ

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ContentsDrought: Cuts on agricultural water quotas not the solutionJobs Fund: Govt & Fruit Industry CreatingJobsHortGro invests r3,7m in studentsAlternative Crops Aid to SA Economytree By tree – transforming the Deciduous Fruit LandscapeAgricultural Industry School tour for Witzenberg Schools

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NAmpo 2017 – Key messagesNew WhatsApp Insect ID Service A ‘Cheeky®’ pear to bridge the gapZZ2’s pohl joins the ‘orchard of the Future’ packGame of Fruit 2017 – Field DaysFrom the Executive Director's Desk

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Hortgro invests R3,7m in students The deciduous fruit industry is dedicated to investing in South Africa’s future agricultural workforce.Over the past 14 years HORTGRO has invested close to R35 million in bursaries as contribution to a skilled and sustainable agricultural workforce.This year HORTGRO is contributing R3,7 million in bursaries and training at higher education institutions nationwide, including Stellenbosch University, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Elsenburg, and the universities of Limpopo, Pretoria and Free State. Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/2qC1OAB

Extremely low water levels at theewaterskloof Dam. picture via twitter: paul Lee Lötter, @paul_lot

Students at this year HortGro Bursary Event in Stellenbosch. FLtr: Frederik Voight (BComm management Science), Greg Gatsi (mSc plant pathology) and rhona van der merwe (mSc plant pathology).

JOBS FUND: GOVT & FRUIT INDUSTRY WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE JOBS

Over the last 17 months the Jobs Fund in collaboration with the stone and pome fruit industry have created 483 jobs in the deciduous fruit sector. The Jobs Fund is a National Treasury initiative looking to co-finance public, private and non-governmental organisations in order to create sustainable job creation initiatives, as well as long term employment creation in South Africa. A total budget of R120 million, to be dispersed of over four years, has been allocated to the deciduous fruit industry. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2rRvRZN

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Nampo 2017 – Key MessagesA HORTGRO team joined thousands of people and more than 700 exhibitors to attend the annual NAMPO agricultural show. The show is the biggest one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. For four days, every year in May, the sleepy town of Bothaville in the Free State transforms into a high-tech agri hub with a constant stream of bakkies, 4x4’s, trucks, busses and even aircraft resulting in an ubiquitous red dust cloud in the area. NAMPO is the agricultural sector’s most relevant platform and market place for innovation, technology, information exchange and discussion. Read more: http://bit.ly/2qCXxNnpicture: team HortGro at NAmpo. FLtr: mariette Kotze, Hugh Campbell, André Smit, Nic Dicey, Jacques du preez, Louis van Zyl, Anton rabe and Dappie Smit.

Alternative Crops aid to sa economyKey role-players from the various alternative crops industries supported by HORTGRO, recently gathered with members of the Western Cape department of agriculture for a fund report back meeting. Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, who also attended shared his insights on the importance of alternative crops in the SA economy. “Our province is going through a difficult period due to climate change and a water disaster being declared. Alternative crops and innovation in agriculture will pull our economy through in troubling times." Read more: http://bit.ly/2rDApDv

agricultural industry school tour for Witzenberg schools Matric learners and potential agriculture students from five Witzenberg schools recently went on a school tour organised by HORTGRO and the Koue Bokkeveld Training Centre. The participating schools included Charlie Hofmeyer High School, Ceres Secondary School, Wolseley Secondary School, Skurweberg Secondary School and Lingcinga Zechu Secondary School. The learners visited various agricultural institutions including Elsenburg College, Fruitfly Africa, Sapo Trust and Stellenbosch University. The day was sponsored by HORTGRO, DFTS and IPV.

Koos Lötter (middle), industry great and writer of Die Persimmon in Suid-Afrika, hands a copy of this book to minister Alan Winde (right) at the fund report back meeting. With them is Anton rabe, HortGro Executive Director.

Tree by tree – Transforming the deciduous fruit landscape

Agricultural transformation and landownership have been serious political issues since the fall of apartheid. Over the years several programmes and projects were initiated, but transformation seemed like an optical illusion. It was there, yet it was absent. Initially everything was about landownership, but owning land does not make you a fruit grower,” says Mariette Kotze, HORTGRO’s Group Operations Manager. Of the levies paid to HORTGRO, 20% goes towards transformation.Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/2r8yWDJ

For Jaffie Galant, Director of themba trust at Bronaar in the Koue Bokkeveld, the biggest impact the boompie-projek has had on their farm was that it made the 57 beneficiaries of the trust proud. Here he is with his team.

Game of Fruit 2017 – Field DaysThis year the HORTGRO Science Technical symposium kicks off with its ‘hands on’ Field Days for growers and is not to be missed. The Stone Fruit Field Day takes place in the stone growing “hub” of Montagu, and the Pome Field Day takes place in Ceres. Stone growers can expect to learn more about FCM, irrigation, winter pruning, and cultivar characteristics, while Pome growers will cover topics including high density orchards, training systems, and growing under nets.Follow HORTGRO Science on Twitter and Facebook at @hortgroscience for the latest symposium news.

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New Whatsapp Insect ID Service launched by IPM InitiativeThe IPM Initiative at Stellenbosch University has launched an Insect ID Service to help growers and industry players identify unknown pests in the field. Reports sent over the mobile app in response to identification requests accompanying high quality photographs will contain a species level identification and information on the pest’s basic biology. HORTGRO Science Crop Protection programme manager, Matthew Addison, says the initiative makes insect identification accessible to the industry and is “quick and easy”. Read more: http://bit.ly/2rmJSeV

A ‘Cheeky®’ pear to bridge the gap ‘Cheeky®’, a new blushed pear cultivar, may be the answer to maintaining a continual supply of SA export bi-colour pears, says Experico’s Dr Ian Crouch. Due to the late arrival of ‘Forelle’ on the market and decreased volumes of ‘Rosemarie’ and ‘Flamingo’, there is a break in SA bi-colour pear supply. C̀heeky®’, with a striking red on a yellow peel when fully ripe, large fruit size and a timeous harvest window, offers a perfect solution in bridging the gap. Read more: http://bit.ly/2qV7NSZ

ZZ2’s Hendrik Pohl joins the ‘Orchard of the Future’ packIn 2016 apple grower, Hendrik Pohl from ZZ2, joined the Orchard of the Future project with his Bokveldskloof orchard block. The goals for Pohl’s orchard are ambitious and seek to demonstrate the interplay between rootstock and planting density in terms of cost and meeting production goals. Pohl’s initial impressions are that it is an “easy-to-manage system with good results”, while there is a “greater emphasis on orchard management as opposed to labour management”. Read more:http://bit.ly/2r59Rr6

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general enquiriesinfo@hortgro.co.zawww.hortgro.co.zatel 021 870 2900fax 021 870 2915

from THe executive director's desk

Divine intervention VS Common sense EN normaal

Dit is bykans onmoontlik om nie deurlopend herinner te word aan die huidige droogte en watertekorte in die Wes- en Oos-Kaap, wat werklik nou op ’n krisis afstuur, nie. Soos hulle sê: “It’s in your face”. Deurlopend. 365/24/7. In koerante, die algemene media, oor die radio en die televisie. HORTGRO is die afgelope ruk oorval met navrae – soveel so, dat ons op die ou end verlede week ’n persverklaring hieroor uitgestuur het.

Die spreekwoordelike bottom line is dat ons individueel of kollektief niks aan die reënval self kan doen nie. Dit is in ’n Hoër Hand en Hy sal voorsien wanneer die tyd reg is. Net soos Hy vroeër vanjaar in die noordelike provinsies gedoen het waar dinge ook haglik was en menslik gesproke daar drie tot vier normale reën jare sou moes wees om damvlakke weer na normale vlakke te neem. Hy het dit binne 10 dae gedoen!

Sodanige divine intervention kan uiteraard ook uitkoms vir die huidige krisis bied, want hier is ook menslik gesproke, drie tot vier jaar se normale reënval nodig om damvlakke weer op normale vlakke te kry. Maar soos ons dierbare buurtannie van baie jare (Tannie Ittie is ook al salariger) gesê het: “Geloof dat die Here sal voorsien is goed, maar die Liewe Heer het ons ook common sense gegee!”

Dit is hierdie common sense wat ons individueel en kollektief moet gebruik om slimmer, beter en anders te doen. Ons wéét die klimaat het verander en dat weerpatrone anders sal wees. Ons móét hierby aanpas, ons móét die jongste tegnologie gebruik om minder water, meer effektief te gebruik, ons móét ons gereed maak vir wanneer die water wel kom – en dit sal weer kom. Waarskynlik in oorvloed en dan weer vir lang tye niks. Maar dit sal opgevang en opgegaar kan word deur middel van die gebruik van nette en deklae, Fruitlook en hidrometers (bewaar ons van verdampingspanne!), meer groter en dieper damme, effektiewe kanale en pyplyne vir die verspreiding van water, die hergebruik van gryswater, opgaar tenke by ons huise ensovoorts.

Om hierdie dinge te doen, gaan addisionele kapitaal en investering in ons besighede en in ons privaat lewens beteken. Die publieke en privaat sektore sal hierin mekaar se hande soos nooit tevore nie móét vat, anders gaan ons individueel en kollektief onse alies sien.

"Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes." – Ralph Waldo Emerson"There is nothing more uncommon, than common sense." – Frank Lloyd Wright

‒ Anton Rabe

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Stay up to date and check out even more videos, images and news by following us here:

Editorial Committee Elise-Marie Steenkamp ‒ elise-marie@hortgro.co.za Esté Beerwinkel ‒ este@hortgro.co.zaDane McDonald ‒ dane@hortgro.co.za

This year's Deciduous Fruit Industry Gala Event takes place on 23 September. Entry forms for the various categories can be found on HORTGRO's website here: http://bit.ly/1UOMElS