Sustainable farming plus technology win the day!

Mahela Group is a third-generation farming business in Limpopo. Eddie Vorster, director of the company's citrus division, spoke to Magda du Toit about the strategies and farming practices they follow to achieve their considerable success.

- Magda du Toit

The Mahela Group in the Letsitele Valley ascribes its success as a citrus producer to the sound investments it makes in the latest agricultural technologies and sustainable farming practices. In addition, the company has begun improving its cash flow and spreading risk by investing in subtropical crops, game and livestock farming.

As director of the citrus division, Eddie Vorster is responsible for all aspects of production. According to him, the region's warm days and cool nights are conducive to producing most types of citrus with well-balanced levels of sugar and acidity, as well as good fibre and moisture content.

Mahela produces a wide range of citrus, namely Shaddock (pomelos); Star Ruby grapefruit; Cara Cara navel oranges; Delta, Midknight, Turkey and other late Valencia oranges; Tango, Nules Clementine, Gold Nugget and Samba soft citrus; and Eureka and Genoa lemons. The fruit is produced mainly for the export market.

All the group's farms, apart from one, are located in Limpopo. The exception is a farm near George in the Western Cape. Each farm is under the watchful eye of a manager or, in the case of larger farms, two managers, each with a team of dedicated personnel.

According to Vorster, market changes present some of the biggest challenges they have to address every year. "These changes aren't only seasonal; they can occur at any time of the year. The market will dictate a certain fruit size and we have to manage production to achieve those parameters. But depending on demand, these can easily change. Market information is crucial for us on the production side; the sooner we know what the market's needs are, the easier it is to manage production."