It is early December, two weeks before the traditional peak harvesting season for litchis in the Malelane area of Mpumalanga. By now, the trees should be heavy with the gorgeous pinkish-red crop; instead, the fruit hangs brown, cracked and spoiling under a blazing sun. Row after row of Komati Fruit's litchis on Riverside farm have been affected, with damage rising to 70% in some orchards.
“From mid-October to early December we had frequent heatwaves, which burnt the fruit not only on the outer parts of the canopy, but inside as well,” laments Cornel van der Merwe, marketing and packaging director of Komati Fruit. “Some of this fruit can go for juicing, but the price earned makes it unsustainable. And a lot is spoiled, so it has to be thrown away.”
‘WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE; WE EXPERIENCE MORE HEATWAVES EVERY YEAR AND THE SEASONS ARE CHANGING’
Any visitor to Malelane in December can attest to the nearly unbearable heat here. While litchis can handle these temperatures, it's the humidity level that can make or break the crop. Humidity above 60% is ideal for litchi production, but when the temperature climbs above 37°C, the humidity plummets.
