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The 19 February issue of Farmer’s Weekly, takes a look at a loan of about R54 million that was granted by the international finance corporation, Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank, to United Exports. Erasmus shares that this loan will be used to finance the expansion of the mentioned company’s OZblue blueberries orchids in South Africa. She adds that United Exports produces and packages, as well as distributes, blueberries within SA. But 90% of the produced blueberries are exported to other countries.

Erasmus says the company currently employs about 3 800 permanent and seasonal workers. Jon Salters, CEO of United Exports, says that as a result of this expansion, they will be able to create about 150 new permanent and 1 250 seasonal jobs.

Meanwhile, this edition also looks at some worrying views on the environmental front. This, as the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has sited wide-ranging factors that have contributed to a significant decline in the Kruger National Park’s white and black rhino populations.

Erasmus adds that according to a report from Sanparks, the number of black rhino’s in the park decreased from around 8 900 to around 3 500 between 2013 and 2019. She adds that Cathy Dean, CEO of Save the Rhino International, says that these numbers confirm their worst fears about the number of rhinos in the Kruger National Park. Dean explained that this decline in numbers was mostly due to the parking having suffered immensely since the poaching crises gripped the country in 2008.

Lastly, the news section also covers an article about the current shortage of avocadoes in the SA market as well as the resulted high prices and theft. Erasmus says this is resulting in growers harvesting and selling immature fruit. She explains that according to Derick Donkin, CEO of the South African Avocado Growers' Association, theft was common across the avocado industry losses due to this ran into millions every year.

Erasmus says Donkin urged consumers to be careful when they buy avocadoes, especially from roadside stalls. She adds that although many of these hawkers do buy second and third-grade fruit directly from farmers – this is also one of the offset points of stolen avocadoes. Erasmus says Donkin suggests that people should look at whether or not the fruit still has a small stem attached. This, as farmers would usually leave a small part of the stem attached to the fruit in order for it to ripen properly. Erasmus says that stolen fruit tend to not have a piece of its stem attached.

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