AgriBulletin Newspaper 16 December 2022

Photo: Joe Dreyer

These speedy Ukranian snails follow the Anzole pace

Rachelle van Heerden and Thys du Toit struggled, like most people, to make ends meet during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and all the regulations that went with it. They knew they had to think outside the box if they were to survive and weather the nancial storm. Their research put them on the track of snail farming. Speci cally for food production which saw the birth of Anzole Snails. Whilst many people are familiar with sea snails, Anzole’s snails are land snails imported from the Ukraine.

Initially, Anzole imported 10 kilogrammes (about 662 snails - or breeders) for their rst trial. This was on the 2nd of August 2021. With their next import shortly afterwards the number of snails was doubled and it was not long before the snails started laying their rst eggs. Snails can

produce between 120 to 180 eggs per snail. Rachelle however, harvested up 221 eggs per snail.

Anzole’s snails have so far produced in the region of 330 000 eggs. The rst 1 000 eggs, Rachelle counted by hand before they introduced a more modern weight-based technology for their counting process. The weight of a snail’s egg or caviar is on average a mere 0,04 grams per egg.

“Our initial plan is to supply our immediate area, and currently supply our vacuum packed snails to local restaurants and other food and beverage establishments. We are looking into the idea of supplying the meat market with our products, but actually there are many options we can look into to distribute our snails. Aside from our current production, we are also able to supply new farmers interested in this venture with eggs and breeding snails (breeders),” explained Rachelle.

“We currently vacuum pack all our products ourselves and we o er

ducing a peri-peri avour into the range. And of course, also perhaps snail caviar.”

There are 24 snails per packet and Anzole’s snails weigh considerably more than the widely available tinned variants which are generally imported from Asia. The preparation and packaging of the snails is quite laborious as the snails rst have to go through a cleansing process which takes up to a week before they are nally packaged.

Anzole Snails earlier this year stepped up as one of the sponsors of the annual 4x4-event at Georges Valley during which an auction was held where the sponsored prizes were auctioned o . One of their prizes was a unique experience in the form of a tour through their snail farm which included fun lled ‘snailtainment’ games (including a snail race won by the impressively quick Skid Mark) and a ‘snailicious’ three course dinner.

plain and garlic butter avoured snails. We would like to expand our range and are couples quality

looking at intro-

The winning couples were Andrew and Tracy Pratt, and Butch and Evelyn Klinkert. For starters the couples were served garlic snails and home baked bread, for mains prime quality steak topped with a special snail sauce and roast vegetables was plated with a salad. Desert came in the form of a Vanilla Panna Cotta drenched in wild forest honey topped with 25-year-old Bols Apricot Brandy Liqueur infused snail caviar served on slithers of roasted macadamia, Turkish apricot and crumbed soil with vanilla ice cream.

Food for the evening was prepared by Chef Nicky Myburgh.

■ Roelof de Jonge

Rachelle van Heerden from Anzole Snails with the winning couples, Andrew and Tracy Pratt and Butch and Evelyn Klinkert.

Skid Mark, the racing snail, won the snail’s race by a country mile.

Hannes dra wéér ‘n keer die Agri Jongboer kroon AgriSA calls for caution on increases

■ AgriSA

The National Minimum Wage Commission is expected to release its recommendations on what South Africa’s threshold for wages in 2023 should be, in the days to come. Role players are calling on the government to implement a “sustainable increase” and not an in ation-related increase, despite many farm workers claiming that they cannot a ord food on their current wages.

for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) seems to indicate that the average annual in ation on farm labour rose by 11,6% since 2012, while the general CPI was around 5% over the same period.

■ Roelof de Jonge

Vanjaar was Hannes Wolvaardt, soetrissieboer van Wolvaardt Boerdery in Giyani, vir die tweede keer sedert 2018 as Agri-Limpopo se Jongboer van die Jaar aangewys.

Wolvaardt het sodoende na die nasionale rondte van hierdie kompetisie deurgedring waar hy as die uiteindelike wenner van Agri-SA / Toyota Suid-Afrika (TSAM) se Jongboer van die Jaar kompetisie op die 17de November bekroon is.

Die 2022 Jongboer van die Jaar het egter met ‘n nederige aanslag sy plaasbedryf in 2011 begin. Sy broer, Riaan en sy vrou, Joelene, was vanuit die staanspoor sy vennote in die bedryf en is vandag gelyke vennote in Wolfaard Boerdery.

Wolfaardt was vasberade om na sy studies met sy eie boerdery te begin. Hy het daarin geslaag om R200 000 bymekaar te skaap, ‘n stuk grond van drie hektaar gehuur en met geleende trekkers en ander werktuie sy boerdery van stapel gestuur.

Van dié nederige begin met drie hektaar se soetrissies het Wolfaard Boerdery gegroei na ‘n kommersiële landboubedryf van 30 hektaar groen soetrissies wat in doelgerigte nethuise verbou word, 26 hektaar tamaties en 42 hektaar sitrus.

Vandag lewer Wolfaardt Boerdery oor die 120 000 kartonhouers soetrissies per jaar.

Die nuwe Jongboer van die Jaar het na a oop van sy toekenning gesê dit het weliswaar ‘n hengse familiepoging geverg wat gehelp het om hierdie suksesvolle bedryf te vestig waar dit vandag staan.

“Ek, my vrou Caela, my broer Riaan en sy vrou, Joelene, het as familie saam ingespring om die boerdery op te bou tot waar dit vandag is.”

Wolfaardt se toekomsplanne is om voort te bou op die huidige boerdery om sodoende ‘n beter toekoms te verseker. “Die groot droom is om te verbeter waarmee ons tans besig is. Ons het langtermyn doelwitte vir die boerdery gestel, nie net vir ons as eienaars nie, maar ook om ‘n verskil in ons gemeenskap te bring.”

According to Agri SA’s executive director, Christo van der Rheede, government should sign o on an increase that improves workers’ lives as well as protects the farming sector. “The sector has faced signi cant headwinds in recent years which threaten the viability of many farms,” said Van der Rheede. “Agri SA also recognises the cost pressures on all consumers in South Africa. And therefore, while the need for an increase is clear, it needs to be sustainable for the country’s farming operations to ensure food security for consumers.”

The organisation proposed an increase of consumer price in ation (CPI) minus 2%.

According to Agri SA, this represents a substantial increase while also accounting for the especially di cult economic context in which the agricultural sector currently nds itself.

South Africa’s agricultural sector currently employs around 874 000 workers and data from the Bureau

Van der Rheede said that until now, the sector was largely able to absorb those increases, however, only due to the boom experienced by labour-intensive horticultural industries in the pre-pandemic years. These industries now face signi cant pressures however, with BFAP projecting price decreases over the next decade.

Agri SA is of the view that above-in ation increases in the national minimum wage will only usher in unwelcome consequences. These rami cations are both short- and long-term, the organisation said.

“In the short-term, an above-in ation increase in the national minimum wage in an already di cult economic climate would threaten the nancial viability of many agricultural operations,” van der Rheede said and added that farmers were unable to withstand an above-in ation increase in the national minimum wage (NMW).

Particularly under circumstances like rising input costs such as fuel and fertiliser, and declining delivery of critical services like transport, logistics, and electricity. According to Agri SA, a rapid rise in labour costs that is not accompanied by a rise in productivity will threaten South Africa’s global competitiveness in the long term.

Hannes Wolvaardt kort na hy die Jongoer van die Jaar 2022 verower het. Saam met hom is sy broer Riaan en sy aangetroude suster, Joelene

Firm roots and ambition cause growth

They’ve been around a while and because of this, they need very little introduction to the local community, but for those who are not familiar with their story, allow us to elaborate. WD Seedlings situated on the Deerpark Road just outside Tzaneen as you head towards Letsitele, lead the way in the latest released, and proven seedling varieties from global seed breeders.

All their seedlings are grown in a 100% sterilised medium so that their customers can be con dent that their orders will be disease free. In addition to friendly, knowledgeable sta on hand to cater to your every concern, they also have experienced eld representatives who travel throughout the country to check plant stands and visit growers in the eld.

Their eld reps work closely with seed companies and conduct regular eld trials to test the newest varieties before they are made available to the local market. We always follow up on these trials to be sure our customers stay at the leading edge of any new introductions,” explained Wynand van der Westhuizen, WD Seedlings director. “All of our employees, from our truck drivers to our top managers, share in the company’s overall commitment to customer service. We pride ourselves on being exible, versatile, and responsive to the needs of all our customers. At WD Seedlings, everything we grow is “Rooted in Quality” and our customers know they can rely on our experience and expertise to consistently produce top quality seedlings that are compact, well-rooted, and ready to grow.”

Though they o er a huge range, WD Seedlings specialise in tomato, cucumber, peppers, tobacco, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, eggplant, spinach, beetroot and many more seedlings, and is continuing to expand in order to reach new levels of customer satisfaction.

They currently o er over 350 varieties of vegetable seedlings, grown according to their customer’s planting schedule. They are constantly developing their range of seedlings to follow market trends and customer requirements. What really separates them from the rest of their competitors is their

reputation for on time deliveries.

Four months ago, Wynand and his team took Spring Day to the next level when they opened their brand new building and attached garden centre to the public after much anticipation. The new building is remarkable and o ers a relaxed shopping experience with increased oor space and friendly assistants on hand under the watchful eyes of experienced managers.

The touch of class brought to the team through the new additions is noticeable when one strolls leisurely through the garden centre and your senses are overpowered by the burst of colour at the pottery section and the relaxing atmosphere. If it’s advice you need on anything seedling or garden related, the team is on standby to o er you only best advice.

If you still need any convincing, follow WD Seedlings on Facebook or visit their website www.wdseedlings.co.za and read the feedback from their satis ed customers. For any other inquiries, be sure to contact the team on 015 307 1050. For sales and advice contact either Franna on 072 053 3978 or Wynand on 083 297 4143. You can email them at admin@wdseedlings.co.za or sales@wdseedlings.co.za

■ Joe Dreyer

Testing shows local Sa ron can compete globally

cently walked away with the top honours from an organoleptic African multinational retailer.

The benchmarking exercise included the retailer’s own branded imported sa ron as well as sa ron products imported from Spain and Iran, the latter being the world’s largest producer with a market share in excess of 90%.

The assessment criteria were visual appeal, the balance between taste and avour, avour intensity, texture and mouth feel. Sa ricon’s product was the only contender scoring eight or more out of ten in each of these categories.

Engelbrecht said the benchmarking results corroborated what they have said all along. “The sa ron we grow in South Africa has a distinctive avour and aroma. Along with our recently acquired ISO 3632 classi cation, it provides further evidence of our consistent commitment to exceptional quality.”

Engelbrecht pointed out that Sa ricon’s aim was to become a signi cant player in the world market, in terms of both quantity and quality. “The testing clearly demonstrated that our quality is tops. In terms of volume, we are set to start producing serious amounts of sa ron within the

next eight to ten years.”

Sa ron is not only a high-value spice, it is also a relatively low-risk crop that can be cultivated on as little as a quarter hectare of land. This makes sa ron ideal for commercial farmers who want to diversify while creating an optimal opportunity for the millions of South Africans wanting to branch into agriculture on a small scale.

Sa ricon has sold about 385 sa ron trial packs to prospective farmers in all nine provinces as well as Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Zambia since its introduction last year. The purpose of these packs was to allow farmers to test the viability of sa ron cultivation before considering farming on a larger scale. Each pack contained approximately 500 to 700 prepared corms as well as a plant and grower’s manual, fertilizer, Agri Technovation support via Lowveld Agrochem (LAC), a NviroTek and Agri Technovation soil analysis kit and access to the MYFARMWEB platform to monitor data.

There are currently 12 commercial sa ron farmers on board that have planted from as few as 1 000 corms to as many as 600 000. A total of 20 million corms were planted to date. Once a year, under favourable conditions, each corm multiplies underground about three times. To put this into context; one hectare planted with corms will have enough corms by year four, for 24 hectares of planting.

Another highlight for Sa ricon was its rst growers’ conference which was held in August and which saw the launch of the Association of Saffron Southern Africa (ASSA). Engelbrecht described ASSA as an umbrella organisation serving as custodian for the Southern African sa ron industry. “It is crucial we have an overarching body to oversee the industry, especially as more sa ron farmers come on board and the industry grows,” he explained. The association will be supported by an interim committee to promulgate its constitution and ensure that everything is in place for the o cial commencement of its duties.

Rabie appointed to Presidential Climate Commission

■ Christo van der Rheede

Janse Rabie, the Legal and Policy Executive at Agri SA was appointed to the Presidential Climate Commission by President Ramaphosa. The announcement came as the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27 – got underway in Egypt this week.

This important body has a central role to play as South Africa works to adapt to, and mitigate the e ects and causes of climate change. With the agricultural sector amongst the most a ected by this phenomenon, the appointment to the commission of a representative for the sector is an important step in building the consensus that the industry must e ectively address the challenges before them.

South Africa is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, and the Presidential Climate Commission was established to coordinate and oversee the just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy, as envisioned under this Convention and international agreement.

The agricultural sector is inextricably linked to the natural environment. It both a ects and is a ected by, climate volatility and change.

There is signi cant work taking place to address the causes and e ects of climate change, including the Climate Change Bill which is currently moving through parliament, and the agricultural sector must play an integral role as South Africa formulates a coherent and e ective response to the growing threat.

While climate change poses risks for South Africa, it also presents great opportunities for innovation and homegrown solutions in the agricultural sector and beyond. Agri SA has been steadfast in its appeal for the inclusion of more representatives from the agricultural sector, a necessity if South Africa is going to develop a holistic approach to the just transition that creates new opportunities for young South Africans across all sectors of the economy.

In addition to his role as Legal and Policy Executive at Agri SA, Janse Rabie (48) is also the organisation’s Head of Natural Resources. An attorney by training, he holds a Master of Laws degree in marine and environmental law from the University of Cape Town. Since joining Agri SA

in 2017, he has been instrumental in elevating the importance of the agricultural sector’s vital relationship with, and reliance on, the natural environ-

“No one lives closer to, relies more upon, or is more a ected by the climate and our natural environment than our farmers. I look forward to bringing the perspectives and experience of Agri SA and the agricultural sector to the important work currently being performed by the Presidential Climate Commission,” said Rabie.

“South Africa’s food security in coming years will depend on our ability to maintain a sustainable environment for farming. We, therefore, look forward to working with other sections of the economy and of society to ensure that we make progress towards the goal of creating a resilient and prosperous country for generations to come.”

Joint indigenous veld goat project launched this week

iNkosi Zwelothando Mabandla, AfriForum and the family farmer network, the Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) launched the joint indigenous veld goat agricultural development project in the AmaBhele kaJamangile Kingdom close to Maclear in the Eastern Cape on the 14th of December. The launch was accompanied by the delivery of the rst 21 Nguni indigenous veld goats to iNkosi Zwelothando’s farm, Mncetyane. Gerhard Lourens, of LGL Indigenous Veld Goat Skilder Stud, also provided practical training to community members and iNkosi Zwelothando and his team.

This joint project has a planned duration of six years. The base herd consists of a total of 41 Nguni indigenous veld goats that were procured over two years. The aim of the project was to establish one pro table and sustainable indigenous veld goat herd farming enterprise, and the next three indigenous veld goat development projects, at the end of the six year period.

The transfer of knowledge and skills relating to all aspects of a goat herd farming is an integral part of the project plan that will also be of bene t to the broader community.

“It was a big day for us. The goat herd now in the pen is the result of good cooperation and hard work that was done over months. I am also glad that AmaBhele kaJamangi community members could bene t from the training that was received. This is the next step in our community’s journey towards self-su ciency,” said iNkosi Zwelothando of the AmaBhele kaJamangile Traditional Community.

“It is a privilege for Saai to add value to these family farmers on grassroots level with training and exposure to stud farming and its

commercial value through our involvement with this agricultural development project,” said dr Theo de Jager, Chairperson of the Board of Saai.

“iNkosi Zwelothando and the other family farmers in his kingdom are experienced goat farmers. We are not busy establishing subsistence farmers, but are supporting family farmers to develop to become commercial farmers that will contribute towards wealth creation and food security and therefore economic growth and stability.”

“We as Jamangile kaMabandla royal family have a vision to establish the community, which we are serving as leaders, as an autonomous, self-reliant community. We understand that this is not something that happens without planning and hard work and that it must be built step by step. This week we laid another brick for the future that we are busy building,” said Princess Bhelekazi Mabandla, Head of Royal Diplomatic Services of the Jamangile kaMabandla Royal Family.

“The happiness and prosperity of the future generations of the di erent cultural communities in southern Africa depends on us, the current generation. It is our generation’s task to build good intercultural relations and cooperation based on mutual recognition and respect.

This project serves as an example of community collaboration, that can be followed as an alternative approach, to ensure a future where the welfare of communities takes centre stage,” added Barend Uys, Head of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum.

■ Christo van der Rheede

■ Corné Liebenberg

representatives

ment. by forward farming. forward with the progress prosperous

Sa ricon founder and director Bennie

both sa

Billions stolen in Nandoni water pipeline project

■ Billy Sibuyi

The Nandoni pipeline project which took more than 18 years to construct due to misuse of funds has finally made its way to Giyani, albeit, R3 billion later.

The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, visited Giyani on Sunday, the 11th of December, together with the President of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa, to present a progress report on the Nandoni pipeline project.

Speaking to residents who had come in their numbers to the Giyani Stadium, Mchunu elaborated that the nal connections of the pipeline to Shinkukwani water canal which led to another dam, had been completed.

He said that the connections of water pumps and the clearing of the canal to allow for an easy flow of water, were still to be completed.

“Those who stole the funds meant for the project will be prosecuted. The ICU is currently pursuing seven cases and have recently applied to add two more cases to make it nine,” he explained.

“The only thing that is left outstanding before we revive the canal and pump water into the pipeline is the connection of the valves, as we have closed the gap which had been opened,” he said to the hundreds of community members who have been waiting for water for a very long time.

Nhlamulo Di erence Mthabini told Bulletin that it was an unfortunate that this project was only being completed now, “My parents died waiting for this project to complete. I am sure they will rest well now, knowing it is near completion.”

“We have been waiting for water in our communities for a very long time, but because of the politicians and their corruption, we are still waiting. Hopefully this project will be completed this time around, but we know these guys, they will disappear before the end of January when they have all the money,” explained another resident, Samuel Chauke.

Ramaphosa gave a platform to the residents, as he used this opportunity for a short imbizo, and asked to hear from residents. While most complained of corruption and the delay of the project, others used the opportunity to shed light on the water being blocked and used for irrigation by farmers.

On the water reticulation plan that planned to reach the households

in villages around Giyani within the next four months, Ramaphosa illustrated that the services will not be free for the people and they would have to pay for it.

Ramaphosa said that the government was serious on its fight against corruption, and that those who are responsible for the stolen R3 billion meant for the Nandoni project, would pay it back one way or another.

***Editor’s Comment: And despite this, despite the residents complaining to their president about the ongoing corruption and his empty promises, and despite them knowing full well that currently he has a massive scandal hanging over his own head, they will still continue to vote him and his party into power. Nothing will change until voting is better regulated.

South African Citrus industry hit by “perfect storm”

■ Sta Writer

It would appear by all accounts that the South African citrus industry, the second largest exporter of citrus in the world after Spain, could be facing challenges that place it at risk long term. According to an article in Business Day recently, the situation was highlighted by a Citrus Growers Association-commissioned study conducted by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP). The study showed that the industry was hit by what it termed “a perfect storm” of increased production, a major rise in farming input costs, and a decline in real export prices, which is likely to remain for the next few years. This was further compounded by the major economic constraints that exist in SA, including ongoing scal pressure, persistent loadshedding, high unemployment rates and low levels of consumer and business condence.

The article further stated that the rising cost of production saw exorbitant price hikes across a number of inputs including, fertiliser prices that increased just over 56% between 2020 and 2021, due to tight supplies, rising raw material costs, increased demand, logistics constraints and high freight rates. These prices were hiked even further over the past few months as a result of major fertiliser producer Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This con ict placed further pressure on fuel supplies and costs, with soaring fuel prices only expected to start declining next year.

One of the biggest threats faced by local citrus growers is lower freight volumes and a shortage of shipping containers while freight costs increased 128% between the rst quarter of 2020 and that of 2022. While the global vessel schedule reliability has started improving, reaching 35.9% in March,

the global average delay for late vessel arrivals remained over seven days, which a ected the quality of SA citrus that reaches overseas markets.

These ine ciencies are exacerbated by continued operational issues at the country’s ports. While there have been some improvements as a result of nancial and operational interventions driven by Transnet over recent months, at the Cape Town, Ngqura and Cape Town ports containers continue to run below full capacity.

This is re ected in the movement of Twenty Foot Equivalent Containers (TEUs) from SA’s most important fruit export ports over a 52-month period, from January 2018 to April 2022. The average monthly growth over this period was Durban -0.31%; Ngqura -0.64%; and Cape Town -0.33%. This despite the average annual growth rate for citrus exports between 2018 and 2021 standing at 4.5%, which has obviously increased the demand for containers and ports operating as e ciently as possible.

Even though more citrus has been exported volume-wise this year, the CGA said that most local growers face the “very real prospect of signi cant earnings losses this year” because of a chain of setbacks so far.

In September this year, the CGA said that 138 million 15kg cartons of fruit had been packed for export from South Africa, and the latest predictions at that time put the season total at 167.2 million cartons.

Although it meant volume growth compared to previous years, it is 3.3 million cartons less than predicted at the start of the season and will not come with increased pro ts. “Experienced industry commentators are of the view that less than 20% of citrus growers are likely to achieve above breakeven returns at the end of the 2022 season,” the CGA said.