Van Meir Uien has been on a study tour in South Africa with a group of 28 people since the 3rd of February which will be coming to an end tomorrow, the 12th of February. This was partially made possible by Hazera. They have been keeping a day to day record on Facebook:
Day 1
Our first excursion today. We went to visit four companies in the region of Johannesburg. The first company grows on 1230 ha, which consists of 400 ha of maize and 80 ha of tomatoes. 700 people are working on the harvest, of which 500 live in the grower's "palace".
We then continued to "Langplaas". This company has 100 ha "under sprinklers" including 140 ha of onions. The onions are planted in mid February and harvested in June/July. We were able to take a look in the packaging hall. They were packaging sweet potatoes and carrots. They were fresh from the field.
At the third company (Geluk Farm) we saw them packaging onions. These onions were from the middle of South Africa. They package around 100 tonnes per day.
The last company was a large packaging company, Modelpak Farms. They package 18 different vegetables in 8 different weights. This adds up to 54 different ways of packaging.
At the end of the afternoon we met up with around 12 South African onion growers to exchange experiences. We did this through a presentation with a delicious "Afrikaanse braai" (BBQ) at a gorgeous location.
Day 3:
This morning we visited "Rosaly Farms". This farm is around 3200 ha, split into two locations and who packages its own vegetables for the open market, cutters and particulars.
They don't grow onions but do grow 9 other vegetables. The main vegetables are carrots, cabbages and lettuce. We took a trip around a few plots and had a look in the packaging area.
We then continued to the "Lion and Phino Safaripark". This park is 1200 ha and also has underground caves. These caves were discovered in 1898 by the Italians.
After eating at the safari park we took a walk around the safari crèche and then went on the jeep safari. We encountered whit elions, wild dogs, gnus and ostriches, amongst other animals.
We are sleeping in the "Hela Safari Hotel" tonight, where the zebras and giraffes roam freely through the gardens.
Day 4:
We had to get up early this morning for out 6.45 flight to Cape Town. A bus took us from the airport to Hout Bay. Here we made a trip around the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Then we continued to Kalkbay to eat there. Kalkbay is on the Indian Ocean. After eating we made our way to the hotel in Cape Town. The hotel "Garden Centre" with a view of the table mountain. We were free in the afternoon.
Were there no onions today? Yes there were; there were "Dutch onions" in the supermarket. Anyone with a bit of knowledge of onions can immediately tell they are not from the Netherlands.
Day 5:
This day is all about wine. We visited three wine companies and learnt the tricks of the trade. We learned that the flavour of wine has a lot of outside influences. The weather plays an important role, but so does the location of the vineyard. The entire fermentation process and even the origin of the wood of the barrels in which the wine is stored.
Of course we extensively tasted all these differences. At the first company, "Fairview" we did this combined with home made goats and cows milk cheese. At the second company "Villiera Wines" with some dried meat and at the third company "Middelvlei" we enjoyed a delicious South African braai (BBQ).
In total there were around 20 different wines. You can imagine the mood was getting better and better and the wines tastier and tastier.
Day 6:
Today we left on time to be one of the first to take the lift to the table mountain. We also had breakfast with a great view. It was very cloudy down below, but this also made for good pictures. After having walked for a while some of the group decided to walk down the mountain. A 1.5 hour journey.
We then took the "Hop on, hop off bus" from the table mountain to V&A Waterfront to eat. We drove past the gorgeous coastline of Cape Town and received an explanation in Dutch through headphones.
V&A Waterfront is Cape Town's historical port. It is between Robben Island and the Table Mountain. Besides an abundance of restaurants and shops it is also a yacht harbour and you can take boat trips here. This afternoon was free for everyone.
Day 7:
We left Cape Town behind us and have gone to Ceres and surrounding area. This area is three hours drive from Cape Town and 1000m above sea level. In the West Cape, which includes Ceres, 12,000 ha of fruit is grown, 3000 ha of onions and around 500 ha of potatoes. The onions are grown by 38 farmers, which is an average of 79 ha per grower.
In the morning we visited "Donkerbos". This farm has 260 ha of fruit trees, grows 240 ha of onions, some potatoes and has 3000 sheep and 250 cattle. The onions are only hand harvested. Then they are placed in the swath and covered with straw to protect them from the sun, as it can reach up to 38 degrees Celsius. The onions are left for 2 to 3 weeks before being picked up. This is done by hand 60% of the times, to prevent shedding and to keep people working as a social aspect. The onions are stored in 450 kg boxes, outside in the natural wind. Packaging is 20% supermarket, 25% local markets and 55% export for central Africa.
In the afternoon we had a look at "Langrivier". This farm is 1,100 ha, of which 400 ha fruit, 130 ha onions and 130 ha potatoes. Langrivier has 900 employees and work the same way as Donkerbos for harvest and collection. We were able to see how the onions are collected by hand. In the evening we ate at "Die Opstal". A beautiful vineyard where we had delicious food. However, due to the bad connection I can't add many photos. I will try again tomorrow, my apologies.
Source: Facebook Van Meir Uien