Organic satsumas from South Africa’s Eastern Cape are due to arrive in the UK between April 20 and 27, following initial harvesting of the fruit at the end of March.
Andrew Poulton of Be Organic told FPJ: “Even in early March, the satsumas tasted superb. At the same time, we shall see a few lemons from early flowerings, which we expect to be bordering on tinge green. As far as other Eastern Cape citrus varieties are concerned, crops are normal in size, but generally a week late.
However, the Western Cape’s organic easy-peeler deal is running three to four weeks behind schedule, possibly as a result of the late November storm which created an overall delay in development, said Poulton. “However, this means we could extend our season, as long as the fruit develops fully. We have never experienced the result of such unprecedented climatic conditions before," he said.
Meanwhile, Be Organic’s top fruit and stonefruit orchards in the Langkloof area, bordering both the Eastern and Western Cape, are also feeling the long-term effect of the storms. “We are still trying to come to terms with the effects on maturity and fruit pressures,” said Poulton. “That is without taking into account the challenge of rebuilding the local infrastructure and, more important for organic production, the loss of rich top soils and trace elements which the storms created.”
Be Organic believes demand for organics from non-supermarket sources - box schemes, catering, niche retail and processing - is growing considerably. “Supermarket volumes remain stable, but our business in other sectors has grown from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in the last year, and we expect this to rise to 33 per cent in 2008,” said Poulton. “Initially we used this trade for the ‘book ends’ that major retailers did not want, but now, where requested, we are also supplying these sectors with top-of-the-range specs too.”
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