Sunday’s River Valley citrus growers
Weather favours Sunday’s River Valley citrus growers
WHILE majority of farmers of various job commodities complain about the effects of the current climatic status which are largely contributed to global warming, citrus growers in the Sunday’s River Valley Local Municipality are singing a different tune.
The area has experienced less gust so far in the year compared to past years and citrus growers in the area have become the few if not the first producers in the farming sector to express delight and fulfilment in the current environmental conditions.
To them less blowing winds guarantee high quality yields with reduced leave marks on their fruits. Leave marks are caused when leaves and fruit rub together and at times bounce to each other from being blown by wind.
This is the story of Sikhula Sonke Enterprise that manager, Buyiswa Ndyenga expressed with a wide smile to MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Nonkqubela Pieters.
After having led a harvesting session in the Upper Kat Citrus growers two weeks ago in the Amathole District, Pieters continued her tour to Kirkwood, Sarah Baartman District in a move solely aimed at developing the sector further. The developments mean improving farmworkers’ working conditions, catapulting new entrants and penetration of the market.
“Citrus, wool and mohair are some of the economic corridors in the area and while we explore other avenues, let’s continue to build a formidable sector in all respects. This means we need to be primary, secondary and tertiary producers so to add value in our resources. But in order for us to continue lifting the country’s flag high in the commodity (citrus) we need to work together and align our visions and plans,” said Pieters.
She said the government’s plan was to strengthen the already thriving sector by allowing new entrants opportunities to scale up and participate meaningfully in citrus production.
“The future belongs to the young and fresh. That is why even you as farmers keep planting new trees when the old ones can no longer bear fruits. It is that reason that even in the farming sector we want create a create a conducive environment that will allow young people to thrive in their province not elsewhere because our precious resource in the Eastern Cape is farmland,” she said.
Citrus producers in the Sunday’s River Valley Local Municipality are among the top employers with more 4000 workers.
Relaying their story as Sikhula Sonke Enterprise, Ndyenga said under the enterprise they have five farms. Four of the farms are leased from DRDAR and the growers bought a fifth farm from their profits to extend their orchards to 378ha.
Sikhula Sonke Enterprise employs 568 seasonal workers, 57 permanent staffers and 11 managers. The Willowtree Farm which Pieters joined the harvesters on the orchards employs 96 seasonal workers and 17 permanent workers.
The woman-led enterprise was established in 2007 and has 12 direct beneficiaries. Sikhula Sonke Enterprise has been working closely with the Sunday’s River Citrus Companies and DRDAR. From its inception, DRDAR aided Sikhula Sonke with tower spray machine (3000lt), citrus bins and production inputs while the Sunday’s River Citrus Companies provides technical support, upskilling of the beneficiaries and workers also production process of the fruit from planting of trees to packaging of the fruit.
Sikhula Sonke through SRCC sells their fruit in 32 countries across the globe including China, Russia, Middle East and
they benefit in the direct marketing and sales relationship of local retailers such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Checkers and Woolworths.
Dyenga said this season’s harvest guarantees them high margins that could translate to more permanent jobs if the weather conditions continued to be in their favour.
