South African citrus is world-renowned with a reputation for excellent quality, but maintaining this exceptional international reputation needed constant investment in technology, skills development and in the country’s future citrus farmers.
At the recent Citrus Growers Association’s conference in Port Elizabeth, the Citrus Academy’s general manager, Jacomien De Klerk said the rapid advancement of technology and its potential to efficiently connect the planet and people is both thrilling and daunting.
“It requires new ways of thinking and doing, but it also offers boundless opportunities particularly in agriculture. The Citrus Academy, augmenting the work of the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa, is determined to harvest these opportunities,” said De Klerk.
“South Africa’s young people are already embracing tech – but the new ways of thinking and doing that are needed to be part of a tech-focused agricultural future should be prioritised to meet the demands of this revolution,” she said. “Simple changes to introduce subjects that are aligned with these emerging technologies can make all the difference in developing a pipeline of future tech-savvy farmers.
“We are resolute in the maintenance of our competitive edge. Our local citrus industry is one of the country’s most important fruit groups by value and volume. It yields a revenue of over R20 billion per year, of which 92% comes from exports, and provides jobs to more than 100 000 people, many of them young South Africans. The new technological advances that are available to us present endless opportunities to grow these jobs if we know how to see and seize them. The Citrus Academy’s training programmes are already aligning to equip our industry with the knowledge and skills required in this new environment.
Source: agriorbit.com