stART commercial manager, Liezel Kriegler, was pleased with the growing conditions in the Western Cape, with harvest beginning the second week in October 2015 for early peaches, and almost no rain during the harvest period, to date. Kriegler also mentioned that the “sizes of the fruit are normal, volumes are lighter, and quality is good, except for the early varieties that struggled with sugars.”
stART’s main markets lie in the UK and the Middle East. “UK prices are stable. On the continent, the price of apricots are high due to a shortage of product, but prices on nectarines and especially peaches are under pressure.”
The Rand (South African currency) has been weakening steadily for the past year, and has brought about some concerns for the future. Kriegler says that “the exchange rate is to the benefit of the growers, but will also lead to higher input costs.”
Although they do not yet have access to Asian countries, stART is planting specifically for the Asian market. Kriegler states “we are focussed on sub-acid, large, white flesh nectarines, and high sugar red plums for the Asian market.”
