Guava production in the
northern regions of South Africa has more than halved over the past decade. The main cause for this has been the devastating impact of guava wilt disease. Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the Guava Producers’ Association (GPA) recently spoke at GPA’s recent annual general meeting held in the Western Cape. He said in the Western Cape, which was free of the disease, guava orchards had declined from 633ha in 2017 to 542ha because farmers had removed trees due to low profits.
“The disease is contagious and there’s no cure for it. Farmers are [therefore] replacing guava orchards with other crops,” he added.
Approximately 70% of the guava harvest was still sent to the juice market, which did not justify the high labor costs associated with production. The fresh market was lucrative but limited, accounting for only 24% of production, he added.
Farmersweekly.co.za quoted Jordaan as saying: “For industry stability, we need to grow the fresh market through consumer awareness campaigns and the development of more appealing and improved cultivars. However, this will also require a production shift, as guavas aimed at the fresh market require different management and care practices than fruit aimed at the juice market.”
Photo source: Dreamstime.com