Cape Town - Cold weather and frost have slashed vegetable and subtropical fruit production, while the prices of some produce have rocketed by as much as 200%.
Charles Park of the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market said the supply of tomatoes on the market is 34% down due to cold weather damage. Tomato prices have risen 205%.
Smaller quantities of beans, carrots and beetroot are being delivered to the market, but in the case of beetroot the price has shot up more than 200%.
Park said the reduced supply of products and the higher prices that they are currently fetching on the market are boosting turnover for both producers and the market.
Tomato Growers Association CEO Phillip van Zyl told I-Net Bridge the association expects about 5% to 10% of the tomato harvest to have been affected by the cold.
Derek Donkin, CEO of the Subtropical Fruits Growing Association, said about 5% of the country's avocado harvest has been destroyed by frost. It is expected that almost 44 000 tonnes of the fruit will be exported this year, mainly to Europe and Britain, while local demand runs to about 35 000 tonnes.
Vegetable supplies seem to have suffered a bigger setback, but this does not mean that vegetable farmers can't make money.
SantamAgri CEO Dr Tobias Doyer, who is involved with crop insurance on a large scale, said frost damage occurred over a broad area, from the Northern Cape to Mpumalanga.
He said it is difficult to determine the extent of frost damage. When it hails, one can immediately see the extent of the damage. In the case of frost, it can take months before the full impact is visible.
Cold blissWhile some producers in the northern provinces are licking their wounds following the recent frosts and cold weather, grape and fruit farmers, particularly those in the Western Cape, are happy with the weather conditions.
Danie van Schalkwyk from the Agricultural Research Council’s Nietvoorbij unit in Stellenbosch said cold weather is needed for the grapevines and apple and pear trees to rest before the heat builds up again and they start to blossom.
He said the vines don't need as much cold as the fruit trees do, but in all cases low temperatures are necessary to ensure a good harvest and, in the case of wine, to create a good base.
Although the cold weather also had its grip on the Eastern Cape, angora goat farmers have so far not suffered any losses.
Philip Vosloo, general manager of the SA Mohair Growers Association, said the snow that fell in the region was not accompanied by rain. He explained that farmers’ problems arise when the animals get wet in the rain and the wind switches direction, as the cold wind on the drenched bodies affects the goats badly.
- Fin24.com