The five week delay of guava produce has sparked divided opinions between guava farmers and associations.
Though the farmers and associations agree that there is a five week harvest delay in the province, each has been impacted differently.
Zagrys van der Walt, a farmer from Porterville said that this five week delay has not affected every farmer in the Western Cape.
“While certain producers report a decrease compared to last year, other growers confirm good average crops. However, the fruit is slow to ripen, and the excessive rainfall makes it challenging to gather the guavas in a timely manner,” he said
Willem Grobbelaar, a farmer from Paarl described a number of positive and uncertain circumstances.
“The harvest is progressing well, with good-sized fruit. However, there are many small guavas that have yet to reach their full size. The current low soil temperatures impact the root performance, thereby affecting tree growth and ripening. The ripening process may be accelerated if September brings warmer weather, but predicting the season’s outcome remains challenging,” he said.
John Huskisson, a farmer from Kraaifontein said the five week delay will cause problems at a later stage.
“The harvest is delayed by five to six weeks compared to the previous year. This might affect fruit size in the latter part of the season. In Mossel Bay, Billy Robertson expects a smaller season following the previous year’s significant harvest,” he said.
DA spokesperson on agriculture, Andricus Van Der Westhuizen, said the guava season is indeed late this year, and some estimate the delay to be five weeks.
“This is linked to the exceptionally cold (and wet) weather, and the early onset of winter that we have experienced. It is interesting to note that the citrus season seems to be less affected than guava’s, and the citrus season is (in general) running on the normal seasonal schedule.
“All of this is weather related, and we have seen some interesting weather patterns. Last winter was marked by below average rainfall figures. With reference to the past summer harvesting season. We experienced that some of our summer crops started ripening earlier and the summer season ended earlier than in the past,” he said.
Jacques Jordaan, the CEO of the Guava Producers Association, said guava growers face a range of challenges and outcomes.
“This originates from the exceptional wet and cold weather conditions that the Western Cape experienced this year. The impact of the weather delayed ripening, excessive rainfall and low soil temperatures all playing a crucial role in shaping the size and quality of the guavas. However, growers are closely monitoring conditions and making necessary adjustments to maximise their harvests and ensure a successful outcome,” he said.
Alvina Abrahams, a farm activist from the Farm Workers Association said, the rain experienced in the province did not only cause a guava produce delay but a destruction of citrus produce.
“There has definitely been a delay. I received calls from farm workers in the guava orchids complaining about the damage the rain had caused on the guava orchids. They also expressed how unbearable it was to work in such conditions. The conditions are so bad.
“There has been a citrus backlog due to the rains and storms experienced recently. I received reports from the Witzenberg area about how bad the rains destroyed the citrus produce,” she said.