© Star SouthStar South trades in a large variety of fruit kinds, says Johan van Niekerk, director, with over 650 producers on their books. The company holds a license to import Zespri kiwis into South Africa and also exports a range of exotic fruits.
The company is equally a large grape player on imports, exports and the local market in South Africa, handling 3.5 million cartons annually. "Logistics and currency are challenging this season," Van Niekerk remarks. His colleague Jaco Rheeder adds that in the vineyards of the Western Cape, many blocks are ripening at the same time, placing further pressure on the logistics chain.
"While the Northern Cape timing was normal, the Western Cape started packing two weeks earlier than normal, so it's creating quite a peak," Van Nierkerk continues. "The industry is at around 15 million cartons shipped and some 25 million packed, so there are approximately ten million cartons in the system."
Among later varieties, especially Crimson Seedless, he says they are seeing many blocks already coloured up, which will further inflate the peak and create a much sooner end to the season.
He considers Peru still as South Africa's biggest current competitor, but notes: "Don't underestimate Brazil. They've transformed quickly to newer and more rain-tolerant varieties. We keep an eye on what they're doing in Brazil."
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Preferred variety strategy leads foray into farming
"We have a specific preferred variety strategy throughout the whole planting on our new farms, two in the Northern Cape and one in Robertson."
With these recent acquisitions, they can bookend the grape season with preferred varieties from beginning to end: in Augrabies, the last of the grapes are picked this week while starting up on their Robertson grape farm: a perfect handover, Van Niekerk observes.
The aim, he says, is to approach retailers with a full programme for four months, offering the newest versions of preferred varieties from start to finish. "We're only planting white and red grapes. We don't see declining demand in black grapes," he declares. "The market is only taking it because some people still have it; if they could choose, they'd only take white and red."
But it's not just genetics, and you're done, says the former chairperson of the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI). "Terroir plays a big role, along with precision farming, biological balancing and climate control – there's a whole circle of IP-related factors that are considered when choosing to invest in a specific variety."
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Circle of accuracy
Fast-tracking the new variety composition of the Star South grape offering is a big driver in their decision to invest in primary production. "Big yields of good quality and low labour cost give you a lower breakeven point. It's more profitable to have a farm constructed of just the best varieties. It makes you more competitive."
Van Niekerk observes that in his three decades in agriculture, he has never seen the rate of technological change of the past five years. And as a long-range hunter, he appreciates the importance of the contribution of each tiny detail in the process and its multiplied effect on results.
"Technology enables us to complete the circle of accuracy," he says. "The main effect that AI will have on our planet is the ability to keep tabs on every single detail in the vineyard and the climate, and in that way, completing the circle of accuracy."
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For more information:
Johan van Niekerk
Star South Fruits
Tel: +27 83 4562323
Email: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/starsouthfruits/
