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The Letaba District (Greater Tzaneen area) has the perfect climate for producing some of the best quality subtropical fruits and vegetables in South Africa. This area boasts citrus, tea, mangoes, litchis, avocados, kiwi fruit, tomatoes, bananas, macadamia nuts, paw paws, and much more. Here are a few interesting facts about some of these crops: Avocados: In 1672 the Englishman W. Hughes, physician to King Charles II, encountered the fruit in Jamaica and enthused: "It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly". An estimated 40% of the total South African crop is produced in the Letaba district, and between 60% and 65% of the crop is destined for the export market. The export season is from mid March to mid September, but small quantities of fruit are available year round. The main export varieties grown in the region are Fuerte, Hass, and Ryan. Avocados are listed in the Guinness Book of records as being the most nutritious fruit/veg, which is generally consumed and contains NO CHOLESTEROL, a fact a lot of people in the medical profession do not know. For more information and recipes contact: The South African Avocado Growers Association, PO Box 866, Tzaneen 0850. saaga@saaga.co.za Citrus: The Letsitele area of the Letaba district is the biggest production area for citrus in the Northern Province and is responsible for 80% of the citrus production. There are 7700 ha of citrus in this area. During the drought of 1993-95 approximately 2400 ha of citrus died. Most of the orchards have been replanted since. New plantings are mostly noble Valencia varieties e.g. Midknights and Delta Seedless as well as grapefruit, such as Star Ruby. These cultivars realise premium prices on the overseas markets because seedless citrus and pigmented grapefruit are in demand. A large number of people are employed in the citrus industry. In the Letsitele area alone, 12000 workers are employed on 57 citrus farms. They support a total of 60 000 dependents. For more information contact: Capespan, PO Box 400, Tzaneen 0850; Tel: (015) 307 4962. Litchis: The region is a major centre for litchi production and both commercial varieties are grown here, namely MacLean Red and Mauritius. The litchi season is a short but hectic season starting in mid December until the end of February. Approximately 55% of the crop is exported. Macadamia Nuts: The macadamia tree is indigenous to the rain forests of Australia. It is a tall, evergreen member of the protea family, with firm shiny leaves. In spring, delicate raeme-like flowers festoon the trees, varying in colour from white to pink and even bronze. In time this turn into long clusters of green fruits (husks) that split at maturity, exposing round, shiny brown nuts. The particularly hard woody shells on the nuts defy normal nutcrackers, and require special equipment to extract the ivory-coloured kernels. The nut has a characteristically subtle flavour and crisp texture, deserving of its now entrenched image of being the world's gourmet nut. Mangoes: Mango production is the fastest growing sector of the subtropical fruit industry in the Letaba district. Most of the mangos produced are of the fibreless type, of which the most popular cultivars are Tommy Atkins, Sensation and Heidi. In 1996, mango production in the Letaba district accounted for 36% of South Africa's 40 000 ton mango crop. Exports of fresh mangos account for 18% of the crop, and local fresh market, achar (green mango pickle) and juice account for 32%, 40% and 9% of the crop respectively. For more information contact: SA Mango Growers Association, PO Box 2321, Tzaneen 0850. Tel: (015) 307 3513.samga@mango.co.za Tea: Tea is manufactured from the tender shoots, comprising the top two or three leaves and a bud (the more tender the leaf the better the tea). Each step in the process requires care and attention to detail if the full flavour potential of the tea is to be captured. The tea maker has to make decisions during each day's "make", based on his/her intrinsic understanding of the process and a faith in his/her senses, particularly taste and smell. On any Tea Estate the tea maker is a key functionary and a true artist. Once harvested the green leaf is withered for about 16 hours in specially made steel troughs, then transferred to the "cutting room". Here it is pulped and macerated into tiny juice-covered, rolled-up green particles by machines specifically designed for this purpose. The tea is then aerated with cool humid air for slightly over an hour, taking up oxygen and turning the tea to a coppery colour. This oxidation process is called fermentation. After fermentation the fragmented tea (or dhool) is dried to its recognised black colour, sorted into determined sizes and bagged for dispatch to the blenders and packers. For more information and tours of the Tea Factory contact: Sapekoe (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 576, Tzaneen 0850. Tel: (015) 307 3120. info@sapekoe.co.za Bananas: The banana industry makes up the largest fruit industry in the world. It is a highly nutritional fruit and is the staple food for 25% of the world's inhabitants. The plant itself falls under the herb family. It is also interesting to note that the banana has a pseudo stem and is made up of succulent compound leaves. Bananas are planted in plantations, not orchards. After the bunch, with fruit, is harvested the pseudo stem dies back while another pseudo stem sprouts from the same base to form the next bunch. The Letaba region around Tzaneen is one of the 5 most important production areas in South Africa. The sub-tropical climate, high rainfall and fertile soil of the region present the ideal circumstances for the production of bananas. At present nearly 1000 ha consist of banana plantations and produces ±35 000 ton of marketable banana fruit per year. The largest percentage is sold to the various fresh produce markets in South Africa whilst the balance is sold and processed locally (fresh fruit and dried). The Letaba region's banana industry currently generates a gross income of nearly R55 million per year. For more information contact the Chairperson - Letaba Banana Growers Association: (015) 305 3162. The Banana Growers Association of South Africa can be contacted at: (013) 755 2714 / 755 2716 (fax); Email: bgasa@iafrica.co.za |