The cherry fruit is known for its highly capital and labour-intensive production, but cashing in on the profit is well worth the wait for Mzansi farmers.
The beautiful, sweet cherry fruit faces a variety of challenges, such as extreme winter temperatures and the summer rain can also ruin the fruit. But with all the odds against it, there is still hope for a profitable business when it comes down to the adequate management of cherries.
Where to start?
The first thing that is important to do, is to test your soil. This is to see if anything can grow on the land that you want to farm on, says Fanie Grobbelaar, farm executive manager at Welgelegen Cherry Estate.
“Do your research, understand the climate conditions, and always have a plan B for your land,” says Grobbelaar.
Originally, cherries are bought as seedlings and this should take about 30 days to produce seeds. But if you want to farm commercially, then it is best to buy them as trees because cherries take years to bear 100% fruit, he explains.
“Even though you get your cherries as seedlings, it is best to buy them as trees and it is important to ask from where you purchase if they are self or cross-pollinated.”
“It takes about seven years to bear 100% fruit and about six years for you to get a return on your investment,” says Grobbelaar.
He says that farming with cherries is quite capital-intensive and it is a very sensitive tree. He creates the analogy that cherry trees should be treated like women. “Handle with care and a lot of love.”
Climate and irrigation requirements
Climate is a very important aspect of cherry growth. Cherries are predominantly produced in the Western Cape, Ceres to be exact, as well as the Eastern Free State and Mpumalanga.
Interestingly enough, the Eastern Free State was a great source of cherry production prior to the Western Cape, says Grobbelaar. But the Eastern Free State, for example, gets summer rain. This is during the season that cherries ripen and can result in cherries busting through their skin making it inedible, which means it can’t be sold.
“Cherries prefer to be grown in cool spring and mild summer conditions and cold winters, preferably seven degrees and below. They do need a long winter and go into dormancy. It’s like they are sleeping and the more they sleep, the better fruit they give you in summer.”
The Western Cape’s climate is much better for cherry production because it does not receive an excess amount of water.
“What makes the Western Cape climate better is the winter rainfall because cherries have a tendency to burst if they get too much water,“ he says.
Cherries do not require a lot of water for production. “From flowering in September until harvesting, they require about 25mm a week.”
Grobbelaar explains that every farmer’s worst nightmare in cherry farming played out this year. The Eastern Free State region received too much rainfall, about 300mm, bursting the cherries’ skin open.
Different kinds of pests and diseases
There are various kinds of pests and diseases such as brown rot, black knot, cherry leaf spot and cytospora canker. To protect your cherry trees from pests and diseases, Grobbelaar advises using nets.
He adds that farmers need to protect the cherry trees against the elements such as hail, as well as birds and mainly theft.
“It’s a tough thing because the law does not protect farmers against theft because there’s no way to prove that the cherries belong to you. Farmers should form the habit of walking through the land to detect if anything is happening,” says Grobbelaar.
Marketing landscape
For the past couple of years, the cherry market has fluctuated in Mzansi, as Grobbelaar explains “it is up one year and down the next.”
Essentially, there are a lot of factors to consider. ”It’s all due to Covid-19, the UK with inflations, and of course the markets being down with the Ukraine and Russian war,” he adds.
“In South Africa, there has been a steady decline of reproduction of cherry trees but an increase of apples, oranges, and naartjie.”
Grobbelaar has also noticed a decline in cherry farming in South Africa due to it being capital and labour-intensive, which is understandable, he says.
“It is very intensive and there is only a certain period to harvest. Harvesting time is between August and February and your peak season for growth is between October and November,” says Grobbelaar.
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