Smart management to revive old banana plantations

After nearly three decades of banana farming, and experiencing plantations across South Africa, Mozambique, India and Costa Rica, Jacques de Villiers has learnt that while no two plantations are alike, the principles of timing, precision and discipline never change.

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When he took over the Giba banana farm in Kiepersol, Mpumalanga, in 2023, he drew on that experience to rebuild the farm, proving that innovation and strict management can turn even the most neglected operation into a productive enterprise.

Giba farm belongs to the Giba Community Property Association (CPA), having been returned to the community in 2012 following a successful land claim. The farm was recapitalised by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, and leased to various farmers over the years. After a hurricane in 2022, only 75ha of bananas were replanted before the farm came up for lease again. In 2023, De Villiers signed a lease agreement with the association, taking over the management of the farm.

He saw the potential in the farm, but with very little cash flow and no assistance from the banks, he had to cut expenses to the bone and find innovative ways to reinvigorate production. He pooled all the available research on banana production, along with all the management practices he had refined over the years to create a management strategy for the farm. Key to this strategy was shunning the common practice of replanting older plantations.

Banana plantations are typically replanted every eight to 12 years. This is mostly because wind and pests reduce plant population over time, leaving significant gaps in the plantation, which reduce overall yield. “I’ve seen plantations in Cost Rica that are over 80 years old and still going strong. If they are managed correctly, yields and quality are on par with younger plantations.”