The 2022/2023 season exceeded expectations as Culdevco’s licensed Agricultural Research Council (ARC)-bred plum cultivars grew to 50% of exported carton figures, according to Culdevco.
Culdevco general manager Mishkaat Anderson said a recent plum cultivar information day at Culdevco’s head office in Stellenbosch was well attended by growers, exporters and nurseries.
ARC-bred varieties such as Ruby Sun, African Delight, Ruby Star, African Rose and Flavour Star were currently South Africa’s top cultivars and had grown from 32% of the export market in 2020/2021 to 50% in 2022/2023.
Culdevco is a commercialising and marketing agent of ARC-bred varieties with more than 162 profitable cultivars under its management, which include apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, table grape and dried grapes/raisins. The ARC is also the owner of all the deciduous fruit cultivars marketed by Culdevco.
Anderson said the plum cultivar range at Culdevco consisted of 11 ARC varietals of various skin colours, including black, yellow and red. She said red-skinned were the most planted due to their popularity, while yellow and black were more niche. Europe was currently South Africa’s biggest market for the locally grown plums, followed by the Middle East and UK; however, the US was also opening up as a profitable market for exporters, she said.
The agency said the ARC-bred plum varieties had all performed exceptionally well internationally over recent years, with Ruby Sun being Culdevco’s most popular plum.
It is a delicious mid-season cultivar that peaks at AA/AAA and the fruit has storage capability of six to seven weeks. In 2017, 211 hectares of Ruby Sun were planted in South Africa and this has now grown by more than 41% to 511ha last year, yielding 55–60 tons per hectare.
African Delight is the next most popular red-skinned variety. This juicy plum has excellent flavour and stores well, with a healthy 55–60 tons per hectare that grows better in warmer areas. In 2017 South African producers planted 349ha of African Delight, which has now grown to 459ha last year – an increase of more than 30%.
Ruby Star is a late-ripening red plum cultivar that adapts better to cooler areas when compared with African Delight. It has excellent cold storage ability and also provides 55–60 tons per hectare. Ruby Star has been a local success story with matching international market demand.
Anderson said exporters were excited to hear about the as-yet-unnamed but up-and-coming cultivar called PR 06-23.
“This plum is showing great promise with medium to low chilling requirements, excellent storage ability over longer time frames, combined with exceptional taste. This cultivar is in its advanced evaluation phase and it has been semi-commercially planted in areas in the Western Cape. This cultivar is available to South African producers.”
She said there were two other interesting cultivars further back in development: PR 12-10 and PR 11-04. These plum varieties were also set to impress the market and Culdevco would keep stakeholders informed as to their progress.
New varieties are evaluated for their adaptability, yield, precociousness, fruit quality, and acceptability in the major local and export deciduous fruit markets, among other factors. Varieties are also vigorously tested and screened on a regular basis to ensure they meet quality standards.
This extensive process from breeding, evaluating and propagating could take more than 15 years with costs running into the millions, which ensures that Culdevco makes the best possible recommendation of a profitable cultivar choice for the grower that will enable them to reap maximum benefits, Culdevco said.
These unique and robust cultivars released by Culdevco over the past 16 years have made a significant impact on the South African deciduous fruit industry.
Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development Thoko Didiza said the growth in agriculture and its contribution to the country’s economy could be attributed to the increasing footprint of South Africa’s agricultural products in the international markets.
She said this was underscored by the government’s decisions to invest resources in opening new export markets while maintaining trade relations with existing markets.
Last month, the ministry secured new export markets for avocados, beef, and other animal products to countries such as Saudi Arabia and China.
“The drive to open new export opportunities will continue as the government strives to grow a competitive, resilient, and export-oriented agriculture,” Didiza said.
BUSINESS REPORT