A South African produce company is looking to take advantage of an undersupplied marketing window into Europe with new blueberry plantings in the Mpumalanga region.

Neofresh, which grows a range of subtropical crops and is also expanding papaya production into Mozambique, is due to begin planting the fruit across six hectares near Barberton this week. 

The plantings are being overseen by company division Neoberry, and will consist of the Snowchaser variety.

"Snowchaser is a low-chill variety that will grow well in this region," Neoberry manager Schalk Potgieter told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"The variety has already been planted in two areas in the Limpopo region that have a very similar climate to here and the fruit looks unbelievable.

"In those regions they have the same humidity and temperature highs and lows, so if it works there it will definitely work here."

The first fruit is expected to be harvested next year, with the marketing window running from August through October. The majority of volumes will be exported to the European market.

Potgieter said blueberry supplies in the world market were limited at that time, with Peru being the key other producer.

However, as Peru is more focused on the Asian and North American markets, there is a good opportunity to supply Europe.

BerryWorld SA will carry out all the marketing activities, Potgieter said.

Neoberry is planning to boost the plantings by another four hectares early next year, and then the following year double it to 20 hectares.

Papaya expansion

Along with its blueberry project, Neofresh is also stepping up papaya production into neighboring Mozambique.

A total of around 15,000 metric tons (MT) of the fruit are currently produced on an annual basis, and marketing manager Lean van Schalkwyk said he hoped the figure would reach 20,000MT within a few years.

"It makes sense for us to expand into Mozambique to fill the seasonal demand, and because it is close to where we are based in South Africa," he said.

He said 42 hectares had already been planted in Mozambique, with the first fruit expected to be harvested around January. A further 80 hectares are due to be planted over 2016-17.

The company has also recently developed some new papaya varieties after years of work by the R&D team, led by renowned breeder Dr Aart Louw.

One called Papino is high in Brix and is characterized by firm flesh that gives it a good shelf-life, and the other, Neo-Essence is even sweeter and has softer flesh.

The breeding program also yielded genetic lines highly resistant to Pythium disease.

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