October 9, 2024

Farmers Optimistic Despite Frost Delays in Peach and Nectarine Season

Peach and nectarine frost delays
“Despite a sluggish start, we’re optimistic about the season,” says Lohan Marais from Icon Fruit, a company that works closely with farms in the Klein-Karoo, known for their high-quality peaches and nectarines. This year, however, nature has thrown a few challenges their way. The bitter cold snap around late August severely impacted the flowering of ultra-early varieties, leaving farmers anxious.

“To put it into perspective, we’d normally be shipping significant quantities of peaches and nectarines by this time. Today, we’ve only managed to ship out a single pallet,” Marais explains.

The weather’s unpredictability is something that farmers know all too well, but it still stings. The cold didn’t just hit the Klein-Karoo; growers in Limpopo also suffered losses due to a black frost that wiped out much of their early crop. This has left a significant gap in the market, with buyers in the United Kingdom growing impatient. There’s currently no other source to fill their demand for early-season peaches and nectarines.

Nevertheless, there’s hope on the horizon. “The availability of fruit should improve within the next two to three weeks,” Marais says. “Later varieties are maturing well, and conditions are looking favorable for the midseason crop.”

Farmers are closely monitoring the fields, watching for signs of recovery. “So far, things are looking promising for both the mid-season peaches and nectarines. We’re also keeping an eye on apricots and plums. By mid-October, we should have a clearer picture, but at this point, the apricot and plum crops are on track,” Marais adds.

For the farming community, this season is a testament to resilience. Despite setbacks, they continue to nurture their orchards, adapting to weather challenges while maintaining high standards of fruit quality. With plum exports expected to begin in five to six weeks, farmers are hopeful that the later fruit harvest will bring them back on course, making up for the early losses.

In agriculture, patience is a virtue, and for these farmers, it’s the land that ultimately dictates the pace of the season.