Commitment endures hail for first commercial SA crop

2004 was the first year PC-592 Endurance and BG-269 Commitment were grown commercially in South Africa.

As expected, they have had mixed success. Both varieties were produced in the three major growing regions in South Africa; Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, George in the Southern Capr and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

Commitment has performed well in Stellenbosch while Endurance performed best in Port Elizabeth. Both have done well in George despite a major hailstorm in September, which set back Commitment by seven weeks. We have learned from this, and taken the decision to cover as much of our production, as possible with Spanish style tunnels.

Even though these varieties are very different from anything previously available in Souoth Africa, which cause problems for some farms adapting to new production techniques, they have been well received by growers, supermarkets and consumers. In some instances they have benchmarked the industry with their exceptional size and shape. Commitment and Endurance require a lot more attention to detail than most South African growers are familiar with and the varieties are sure to improve as they adjust to this during the coming season.

We are excited about Honor, Patience and Promise being introduced into South Africa and look forward to growing them in the future. Honor will be well suited to the warmer regions such as the northern part of South Africa and parts of the Western Cape. Promise will fill the gap in the market and allow us to grow and supply strawberries all year round.

Winter 2004