Amapiyere sekakhiqizwe iminyaka engaba makhulukhulu begodu bekabizwa nge-“a gift of gods” isipho sabezimu e-Homer’s Odyssey. Amapiyere anemihlobo engaba matjhumi amabili isiquntu sawo sitholakala e-Europe, North Africa kunye ne-Asia Minor, esinye isiquntu sise-Asia. Lokhu kulethe ukukhula emihlobeni emibili yamapiyere wemakhaya, anesikhumba esithambileko we-European Pyrus communis kunye nanesikhumba esikokoreneko umlobo we-Asiatic pears, aziwa nge-Pyrus pyrifoli.
Ukuthandwa kwamapiyere ngokujayelekileko kulandela ukuthandwa kwama-abhula, ngonobangela wobudisi obukhona bokufakela amamakethe ama-piyere avuthwe kuhle. Nokho umkhiqizo wamapiyere ubonakale unzinzile eminyakeni edlulileko, okurholela ekutheni abe ngewekhwalithi ehlala ifana ngasosoke isikhathi.
Umkhiqizo Ephasini Mazombe
Inarha ye-China ngiyo ekhamba phambili ekukhiqizeni nekuthengisele ezinye iinarha amapiyere, i-70% yawowoke umkhiqizo wephasini kunye ne-18% yamapiyere athunyelwa kwezinye iinarha ngo 2018 abuya e-China, kuveza i-Tridge. I-Argentina, i-United States kunye ne-Italy ngezinge zeenarha ezithathu ezikhiqiza khulu amapiyere zilandela i-China. I-Argentina ikhiqiza i-3.3%, i-United states ikhiqiza i-2.7% kwaphela besekuthi i-Italy ikhiqize i-2.6% yawowoke umkhiqizo wephasi.
I-Netherlands, i-Argentina kunye neSewula Afrika bekuziinarha ezithathu eziathengengisela ezinye iinarha zangaphandle umkhiqizo wamapiyere omunengi ngo 2018 zilandela inarha ye-China, i-Netherlands yakhiqiza i-14%, i-Argentina i-13.7 % bese kuthi iSewula Afrika yaikhiqiza i-10.4%.
Umkhiqizo weSewula Afrika
Amapiyere alethwa enarheni yeSewula Afrika yikampani ye-Dutch East India ngokulandela imiyalo ka-Jan van Riebeeck. Encwadini etlolwe ngelanga lange-19 kusiHlabantangana 1665, u-Van Riebeeck watlola bona ubujamo bezulu be-Kapa bebungasibuhle ekuthengi kungatjalwa umkhiqizo wemirorho ngonyaka ogadungileko, kodwana “iwayini yaba yipumelelo ”begodu"… ama-abhula amatjhumi amathathu akhiwa emithini esithandathu, namapiyere amabili”.
Munye wemithi ye-Saffron yamambala eyatjalwa ngesikhathi sika-Van Riebeeck bewusakhula ku-Company Garden ngo 2019. Ukugcina isiko lisaphila, idorobha le-Cape Town’s Parks Department ngokuhlanganyela ne-Tru Cape bakhiqiza i-clone yalomuthi base batjala imbewu etja eduze nomzali womuthi lona ngo 2015.
Ihlangano ye-Industri
Abakhiqizi besithelo i-pome eSewula Afrika bajanyelwe yi-Hortgro Pome, egade yaziwa ngaphambilini njenge-South African Apple and Pear Producers Association. Ihlangano lena yasungulwa ekuthomeni kwabo-1970s ngehloso yokuthuthukisa nokuvikela iindingo zabalimi bama-abhula, begodu muva, yajamela nabalimi bama-piyere.
Ipumelelo Yerhubhululo
Ipumelelo ekulu ye-industri yeza netuthuko ye-Forelle Early Market Access Programme (FEMA), lapho u-Dr Crouch athumba khona i-awadi ye-Hortgro Researcher of the Year award ngo-2015. I-Forelle pears ngaphambilini bekumkhiqizo ophathisa ihloko. Khabe ukhahlumezeka lokha nawukhiwe kusese msinya begodu ubola lokha nawukhiwe lada.
Ukuqeda lomraro, u-Dr Ian waphakamisa bona ama-Forelle pears aphathwe njengama-abhula. Ngalokho kunokobana akhiwe msinya ama-piyere, akaliswe emthini isikhathi esingaba ziimveke ezimbili ukuya kwezithathu ukudlula lesi okufanele akhiwe ngaso, okurholela ekutheni avuthwe, bekabe sivuno sesithelo esisudu. Ukuvuthwa ukuya phambili kuyavinjwa ngemva kokukhiwa ngokobana kufakwe i-growth inhibitor, ekuyi-1-methylcylopropene (MCP), etholakala eentolo zenarheni njenge-SmartFreshSM kusukela ngonyaka ka-2002.
Ihlelweli libulungele i-industri ama-randa amakhulukhulu wamamiliyoni belavumela nabalimi bona bathengisele iinarha zangaphandle ama-FEMA pears iimveke ezilithoba ngaphambili kwesikhathi esijayelekileko esibekwe mithetho ephathelene nekambiso yokuthengisa amapiyere. Ihlelweli libuye lavulela abalimi amathuba amatjha wamamakethe ngokuletha ilemuko elitjha lokudla amapiyere, lasuka emapiyereni ‘athambileko namanzi’ ukuya ‘kwakokoreneko nasudu”. Lawa athandwa khulu eenarheni ze-Middle East nezinye ze-Europe.
Translated by Busisiwe Prudance Skhosana