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The newest edition of the magazine is a double edition, with dates 2 and 9 April 2021.

In the news section, readers can look forward to reading about a warning for citrus farmers. Erasmus says that with the new citrus season being just around the corner, farmers are being warned of the citrus greening disease. She says the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development says that this disease – although not yet present in South Africa – does pose a major threat to the local citrus industry. 

South Africa’s citrus industry is currently ranked the world’s second-largest exporter of citrus fruit. Erasmus adds that signs of this disease have been noted in other African countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya.

Farmers are urged to inform the department immediately when signs of this disease are observed. Signs include fruit remaining green even when ripe with yellow roots, amongst other signs.

Another article looks at delays experienced at the Cape Town harbour. Erasmus adds that delays at the harbour are causing major problems for the South African fruit export industry. She says Mitchel Brooke, logistics development manager at the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa, states that the citrus industry last year experienced, following the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, a turnaround time at the harbour arising to as much as two weeks due to staff shortages.

Erasmus says at the moment, Jacques du Preez, Hortgro’s manager for trade and marketing, says that good local harvests, which includes table grapes and stone fruit, amongst others, are adding to pressure at the harbour. She says this is resulting in some farmers having to hold back on picking or redirecting their fruit to other pack houses and exporting through harbours in the Eastern Cape.

Furthermore, Erasmus adds that readers can look forward to an article about illegal sand mining in the Eastern Cape which is causing problems for sugarcane farmers. She explains that about 175 small-scale growers are uncertain about their future due to illegal sand mining in the middle of the Komati River.

Sand mining has, according to sources, started as early as 2000 and 2001 and since then, a joint task team was put together, conducting multi-stakeholder discussions to bring sand mining under control. However, there has been no results up until now.

Readers can grab a copy of the magazine in local stores from Friday 26 March to Friday 9 April.

OFM News