Breathing new life into the guava industry
FAST FACTS
The development of new guava varieties is critical to the future sustainability of the industry.
Training systems hold promise as a way of enhancing fruit quality.
Selling fruit to the fresh market can greatly improve the profitability of guava production.
With guava wilt disease (GWD) having almost obliterated the guava industry in the rest of South Africa, production is set to grow substantially in the Western Cape, which is still free from this highly contagious fungal disease.
Whether farmers take this opportunity to produce guavas will greatly depend on whether the fruit can compete with others.
Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the Guava Producers’ Association, explained at the association’s annual general meeting earlier this year that guava orchards were relatively cheap to establish in comparison with others, and could last substantially longer (up to a century, according to some).
However, the market is cyclical, with great ups and
