Putting The Punch Into Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit’s peculiar appearance and exotic name are enough to make anyone take a second look. But beyond novelty appeal, the fruit holds considerable promise for South African producers. Lindi Botha visited Howard Blight at his nursery near Tzaneen to learn about this remarkable crop.

- Lindi Botha

Despite its exotic appearance, dragon fruit has struggled to take off in South Africa due to its generally bland taste. But it was the striking appearance and globally acknowledged health benefits of the fruit that caught Howard Blight’s attention five years ago and led him on a journey to cultivate sweeter varieties.

Today, Blight’s commercial nursery, Amorentia, near Tzaneen in Limpopo, has six cultivars with Brix levels between 14 and 19,5, providing luscious, sweet fruit that do their appearance justice. A further five varieties are currently being tested to further expand the portfolio to licensed growers.

Blight says that branding the cultivars has been especially important to create a differentiation between the new, sweet cultivars and the earlier, bland varieties on the market.

“We’ve trademarked Amorentia Sweet Dragon Fruit, and all our cultivars will carry this branding. A strong focus on marketing this brand will ensure a greater take-off in the market.”

OTHER ADVANTAGES

In addition to providing many health benefits to consumers, dragon fruit has much to offer the agriculture sector. It can be grown in areas where many other crops would fail, as it can withstand high temperatures and low rainfall. (It requires 35% less water than avocados, for example.) This gives it a decided advantage in a country with growing water challenges. It can also be planted at a high density, which means that it requires only a small piece of land, making it an ideal crop for small-scale farmers.

“Dragon fruit can therefore play a big role in agricultural transformation. It doesn’t require a sophisticated operation and you can be in production by the second year,” says Blight.