SA litchi farmers rethink production and markets

Market constraints and climate change have slashed profits for local litchi growers, leading to many exiting the industry. Komati Fruit in Mpumalanga has persevered, and is amongst the pioneers of positive change in the industry. Cornel van der Merwe, marketing and packaging director of Komati Fruit, spoke to Lindi Botha.

- Lindi Botha

It is early December, two weeks before the traditional peak harvesting season for litchis in the Malelane area of Mpumalanga. By now, the trees should be heavy with the gorgeous pinkish-red crop; instead, the fruit hangs brown, cracked and spoiling under a blazing sun. Row after row of Komati Fruit's litchis on Riverside farm have been affected, with damage rising to 70% in some orchards.

"From mid-October to early December we had frequent heatwaves, which burnt the fruit not only on the outer parts of the canopy, but inside as well," laments Cornel van der Merwe, marketing and packaging director of Komati Fruit. "Some of this fruit can go for juicing, but the price earned makes it unsustainable. And a lot is spoiled, so it has to be thrown away!" Any visitor to Malelane in December can attest to the nearly unbearable heat here. While litchis can handle these temperatures, it's the humidity level that can make or break the crop. Humidity above 60% is ideal for litchi production, but when the temperature climbs above 37°C, the humidity plummets.

"We can start with 66% in the morning, but drop to 33% by midday. That's a big shift for one day, and it's at this point that the litchis start getting burnt," explains Van der Merwe.

Komati Fruit has been growing litchis for decades and the 100ha in production has stayed constant. What has changed is the climate, says Van der Merwe.

"I can't recall having these problems years ago. We're definitely seeing the effects of climate change and it seems to be having an ever-greater impact. We experience more heatwaves every year, and the seasons are changing. This season, the crop ripened two weeks earlier than normal. "The excessive heatwaves usually came around the end of December and by then the litchis would have been harvested. Now the heat is hitting us in mid-November and we can't pick the litchis fast enough before they burn."