Mark Harris is the largest pineapple producer in South Africa, in the most southerly pineapple production region in the world. The region around Bathurst accounts for 70% of South Africa’s pineapple crop by weight, with the focus on production of Smooth Cayenne, a cultivar used primarily for juicing. Queen, the most popular variety for eating, is produced mainly in the Hluhluwe area of KwaZulu-Natal.
The southerly Bathurst pineapples take longer to grow than those produced by the world’s major growers, such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. The additional growing time leads to higher acidity levels and an intense flavour, which ensures a strong demand by juice manufacturers overseas.
Harris moved to the Bathurst area in the 1980s after finishing his studies in agriculture at Cedara College of Agriculture and working as an extension officer at Langeberg Co-op. After two years, he decided to start his own farming venture and bought a small lifestyle farm near Bathurst from his father.
Virtually all the pineapples produced in Bathurst are destined for juicing and export. Processing, as mentioned, takes place at an East London-based factory, which Harris says is largely owned by farmers and farmworkers. The latter are represented at board level through a farmworker trust.
The Eastern Cape Development Corporation is also involved as the development funding institution, and there are a number of commercial shareholders. The factory has an installed capacity to convert 100,000 t pineapples a year into juice or juice-related products. Current production is about 80,000 t.
Langholm Farms comprises about 1,870 ha and has leased an additional 150ha to bring the total area to just over 2,000 ha. Roughly half of this is used for pineapples. Harris says that about 680 ha are planted to pineapples at any given time, with another 280 ha of land being cycled into or out of pines. He replaces about 20% of the planted area every year.
Source: farmersweekly.co.za
