Flash Gala is the apple of local fruit producers' eyes

A record crop of the trademarked South African apple variety signals opportunity for local growers in a context of markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa having shown enthusiasm for the fruit

- By Kara le Roux

A decade ago, Flash Gala apples were a curiosity in orchards in the Western Cape. This year, they have come into their own with the variety, a trademarked brand of the Big-Bucks Gala Growers Association, producing a record 1,478,454 cartons packed - a 41% increase on last season and the largest crop since its launch.

"This is the biggest Flash Gala crop we've ever seen," said Calla du Toit, chairperson of the growers' association and procurement manager at Tru-Cape, a company that markets and distributes fruit such as apples and pears.

It's an extraordinary leap in volume and it lands in a horticulture sector already doing the heavy lifting for South African agriculture.

In January 2011, Tru-Cape's new variety expert, Buks Nel, noticed an improvement in a Corder Gala apple orchard on Oak Valley Estate in Grabouw. This observation led to the development of a new strain of Gala apple that earned plant breeders' rights in 2015.

Since then, it has spread fast. More than 1.2 million trees have been sold and are now planted on more than 1,000ha in South Africa's apple-growing regions.

Flash Gala finds a sweet spot