Unlike many of South Africa’s other fruit categories this season, MOR’s Sharon Fruit crop from the southwestern Cape started a week earlier.
The season wraps up in two weeks, says Hein Smal, marketing manager at Sharon Fruit in Swellendam. “Demand is good. We send a fair amount to the Middle East, where bigger fruit are popular, and Europe, specifically Germany.”
Other markets are Canada and, for the second year, Kenya, for the hospitality industry, while Sharon Fruit are taken into other African markets through sales at South African supermarket chains like Shoprite/Checkers.
“In a good year, like 2016, we can export between 3,000 and 4,000 tonnes,” says Hein. Is this such a year? “No, we’ll probably get to around 2,200 tonnes this year.”
Tshifhiwa Madima, divisional head of the Tshwane fresh produce market, and Hein Smal, marketing manager of Sharon Fruit South Africa, at a recent Sharon Fruit promotion
Ten percent of production goes to the local market, mainly Gauteng, and some to Durban and Bloemfontein markets but, interestingly, Cape Town has little demand for persimmons. Perhaps, Hein suggests, it’s the abundance of other fruit available in the Cape.
The Johannesburg fresh produce market can take up to 300 tonnes Sharon fruit, all marketed through the Exec-U-Fruit market agency, and at Tshwane 200 tonnes and more through the RSA market agency.
The fruit is mostly grown in the mild Overberg climate around Swellendam, where the past drought was less keenly felt than elsewhere in the Cape, while the orchards around Caledon were more affected.
Sonia Mampuru and Rose Dlamini of Promofresh with Smarts Nsosos, centre, a buyer who's enjoying the taste of Sharon Fruit
In all, a better season than last year, says Hein, both in terms of volumes and quality.
For more information:
Hein Smal
Sharon Fruit South Africa
Tel: +27 28 512 3500
Email: hein@sharon-fruit.com
http://www.sharon-fruit.com/