A severe hail storm in Langkloof in the Eastern Cape earlier this month - which damaged in the order of 1000 hectares of apple, pear and stone fruit orchards - has left the industry reeling.
These orchards account for 20% of the total pome and stone fruit plantings in the Langkloof.
Farms in the Haarlem, Ongelegen and Misgund areas were particularly badly damaged.
According to industry body Hortgro, many farmers suffered big losses and some lost their whole crop. “I am speechless, we anticipated a fantastic pack-out this year, now everything is gone,” a farmer who did not want to be identified said.
It was difficult to determine the overall extent of the damage, said Nina Viljoen, an agricultural economist from Hortgro.
According to the organisation’s estimates, the orchard damage ranges from 70 to 80% in some cases. “We estimate that we have lost 1.2 million export cartons to the value of at least R120 million - and that is excluding the local market.”
According to Hortgro pome representative in the Langkloof, Marius van der Westhuizen, it is difficult to determine the damage as it differs from cultivar to cultivar, how old the trees are, and whether orchards were under netting or not.
The latest hail storm follows a similar event in December which affected fruit farmers from Joubertina and Krakeel.
But hail isn’t the only weather woe facing fruit farmers. There have been serious drought conditions and water restrictions in the region for the past three years. The Kouga Dam, the main water source for irrigation in the area, is currently 8.8% full.
