The new Royal Gala season is starting for Maluti Fruit in a cool summer with plentiful rain, and it’s been years since rivers have run as strongly as this season, says Hein Punt, CEO of Bethlehem-based Maluti Fruit, and they’re looking forward to a good season.
Harvesting early season Royal Gala in the eastern Free State (photos supplied by Hein Punt)
Their early apples from producers in the eastern Free State and Mpumalanga hit a sweet spot in the season as carry-over apple stock declines in quality after seven months plus in controlled atmosphere and retailers PicknPay and Checkers stand ready to take in the first fresh Royal Gala apples of the season.
“The first Royal Galas that are picked, are delivered to the local market as fresh apples, but we’d like to increase our Royal Gala exports this year,” Hein says, “Our long-term export average on Royal Gala has traditionally been around 35% because we have strong local retail programmes but this year there is some caution regarding domestic purchase power and we’re thinking of taking that up to 50%.”
The United Kingdom is marked by two uncertainties – Brexit and Covid – but if there are opportunities, he says, they’d like to send there.
The Middle East (specifically Doha), Bangladesh and Malaysia are traditionally very good markets and will again take the majority of their early Royal Galas; Maluti Fruit’s apples are exported through Cape Five.
Hein notes that their buyers are increasingly looking for solid red colour Royal Galas, with a move away from stripiness.
“Red sells, like sugar on breakfast cereal,” he jokes.
10% increase in apple acreage per year in eastern Free State
Top Red follows after Royal Gala, easily three to four weeks before the Western Cape. Eighty percent of the Free State Top Reds go to the domestic market, some to the Indian Ocean islands.
Their Pink Lady, due to be harvested around the beginning of April, are looking good with nice size development. The cool season is hoped to be beneficial for colour development.
Close to 40% of the Pink Lady orchards in this part of the country are of the Rosy Glow strain.
Year-on-year there is a 10% increase in apple acreage in the eastern Free State, he says, as traditionally mixed family farms add a new revenue stream to the farm, supplementing wheat, maize (corn) and potatoes with apples that start ahead of the Western Cape.
Hein says that the realisation on apples is busy stabilising. "We think it’s justified to replace row crops with apples.”
For more information:
Hein Punt
Maluti Fruit
Tel: +27 58 304 3376
Email: [email protected]