Careful management pays off for litchi grower

While many litchi producers in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, have chosen to exit the industry, Pieter Luus continues to run a successful operation. He explains to Lindi Botha what it takes to stay in the game, and how he balances the pros and cons of growing this challenging crop.

- Lindi Botha

FAST FACTS

Litchis are difficult to produce profitably, but Pieter Luus has done well with them, thanks to meticulous pruning, irrigation and fertilisation.

Two major challenges are low market prices and labour scarcity during the December harvest.

Although market prices are on the low side, input costs, such as fertiliser and pest control, are also low, so a profit can be made.

The subtropical hills and valleys of Hazyview in Mpumalanga were once home to numerous litchi producers. But the difficulties of having to harvest in December, when labour is scarce and prices are low due to market oversupply, saw farmers increasingly replacing the crop with others. A favourite alternative, thanks to their constantly rising prices, has been macadamias.

These challenges have not deterred litchi producer Pieter Luus, however. Although he has also ventured into macadamia production, his 10ha of 18-year-old Mauritius litchis are still very much part of the farm’s success.

Luus notes that litchi trees remain productive for 50 years, depending on how well they are looked after. So he pays close attention to this aspect, in particular maintaining a robust pruning regime.

PRUNING FOR YIELD

Since litchi trees produce fruit only on new branches, they have to be pruned both for production and to keep them at an optimal size.