Limpopo pepper growers are taking advantage of a break in the rain to move produce to market. At the Johannesburg municipal market, pepper volumes have tripled over the past week.
"A significant influx came in yesterday and this morning as farmers finally had a window to harvest and transport," says Riaan Boshoff of Grow BothaRoodt market agency. "They've been dealing with exceptionally heavy rainfall."
This marks the autumn transition period in the pepper market.
"We're currently seeing a slight oversupply as growers in Limpopo begin their new season, while remaining volumes from the Highveld are still clearing," he explains. "At the same time, the first cartons from the Lowveld [Mpumalanga] are entering the market, creating a temporary bottleneck. With demand relatively subdued, it's putting pressure on both producers and the market."
The average price for green peppers is currently R8 to R10 per kilogram, or R40 (€1.78) to R60 per carton (of approximately 4.5 to 5kg), down significantly from R80 to R100 (€4.4) per carton just a week ago.
© Carolize Jansen | FreshPlaza.com
Lack of sunshine
Prolonged rainfall over the past few months has also brought an unusually high number of overcast days, slowing both growth and colour development. As a result, red and yellow peppers traded at strong levels of R300 (€13) to R350 per carton, or around R60/kg, at the Johannesburg market through January and February and up until Monday morning. Since the start of the week, however, prices have eased to R40 to R50 per kilogram.
Hopefully, Boshoff remarks, the current bottleneck could start clearing up as Easter weekend nears, a period that traditionally sees improved demand and firmer prices for peppers.
For more information:
Riaan Boshoff
Grow BothaRoodt
Tel: +27 11 613 6981
Email: [email protected]
https://growfreshproduce.co.za/
