SIX EMERGING farmers from Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga will attend the annual global fresh produce expo, Fruit Logistica, in Germany next month to sell their products and gather insights from farmers in other countries. Local products to be showcased at the 3-day event include green and red peppers, tomato and cabbage, as well as a variety of fruit. The Bethlehem Farmers’ Trust in the Free State will supply apples for the exhibition stand. In total, 1 500 exhibitors from 64 countries will participate in Fruit Logistica, which has been held for more than 10 years. Speaking at the farmers’ briefing last week, Bernard Magabe, the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market’s (JFPM) chief executive, said that the objective of this exhibition was to learn about international produce, make contacts and “most of all bring the new knowledge to other farmers at home”. The farmers, two female and four male, have been sponsored by the JFPM, Limpopo’s department of agriculture and the national Department of Agriculture. One of them, Ingrid Ditsebe, hails from Vleikop near Randfontein, where she grows fruit and vegetables on her four hectares of land, employing seven people.
