Dec_2018_uk

This autumn, Leo van der Giesen and Niels van Nunen visited South Africa. Aartsenfruit has been
cooperating with South African growers for years, which means there have been many visits to
that country. This time, however, it was decided that the pair would combine their visit to the ever
interesting South Africa with a trip to the as-yet unknown Namibia. Niels van Nunen will be our
‘tour guide’ in describing the visit to Aussenkehr.
One long road
‘Leo and I set out by car from Stellenbosch,
near Cape Town and drove to Namibia.
Because Namibia only has one airport in the
far north of the country, driving made the
most sense as the region in Namibia where
we were headed, lies in the southernmost
portion of the country. Remarkably, our
journey involved a 750-kilometre stretch
along a single long road – with no exits –
until we reached the Namibian border.
Coming from Cape Town, after the famous
citrusgrowers’ valley, the landscape is
mainly mountains and arid plains where
absolutely nothing can grow.’
Grape cultivation
‘Although Namibia is a fairly large country,
it is sparsely populated with only 2.5 million
inhabitants. Its climate is predominantly dry,
which is not terribly favourable for horticulture
and agriculture. The southern portion of
the country is particularly arid. So why go
to Namibia and to the Aussenkehr region
specifically? Despite the less than ideal
conditions, growers successfully cultivate
grapes here. They’re able to do so thanks to
a river which flows precisely through the area
along the South African-Namibian border:
the Orange River. This river, some 2,160
kilometres in length, runs from a source in the
easternmost portion of South Africa, across
that country and into Namibia,
where it eventually spills into the Atlantic.
In the border region, pump systems allow
growers to irrigate land up to several
kilometres away from the river. This offers
extremely fine opportunities.’
Prime geographic location
‘In general, it’s safe to say that Aussenkehr
is situated extremely favourably for growing
table grapes. In the context of the southern
hemisphere, they hit the market very early,
which gives them a head start on South
African competitors. They begin with early
sweet and prime in week 46. Eight million
boxes of grapes are harvested and packaged
in Aussenkehr within a span of seven weeks.
This is equal to some 2,500 containers
in total; in the busiest weeks, 420 to 450
containers are shipped out per week.
It’s quite a feat. It was interesting to see,
especially knowing that the growers there
are quite focused on getting a number of
new grape varieties going.’
New varieties
‘‘These growers are investing heavily in
the Arra varieties, which belong to the
Giumarra group. New varieties of seedless
white grapes, such as the Arra 15,
are important alternatives for older strains
such as Thompson. So why switch to
these new varieties? It’s simple: they yield
more kilos per hectare and the cultivation
process is easier to manage.’
In-field packing
‘One trend that’s gaining ground in Namibia
is in-field packing. As the name suggests,
this involves selecting and packaging grapes
in the field immediately after harvesting.
That’s quite different than what most people in
South Africa are still doing: harvesting in bulk,
then transporting everything to a warehouse for
refrigeration and packaging. The method that’s
being applied in Namibia, when done properly,
offers the major advantage of extending the
shelf life of the grapes.’
Many possibilities
‘We visited a truly special place.
The Aussenkehr region currently has over
2,000 hectares of grapes being cultivated.
During the seven-week production period,
18,000 people work under brutal conditions
(such as an average temperature of over
45 degrees) to deliver high-quality products.
Everywhere we looked, there was something
amazing to see, and it was fantastic to be
there and experience Aussenkehr first-hand.
The growers there are constantly working
to develop and automate their agricultural
processes. They’re never content with ‘good
enough’ – and that drive is palpable when
you’re there. It is a region with plentiful
opportunities and we’re keeping a close eye
on those chances.’
Willem Visser (Silverlands)
f.l.t.r. Leo and Niels (aartsenfruit)
nonstop
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