Ku Humulerisiwa ka Pomegranate eAfrika Dzonga

Ku tlula 4 000 wa malembe lawa yanga hundza, muhandzu lowunga ringanaka na apula lowungana tindzoho totshuka wusungule kuva na ndhuma e Central Asia nale Persia (Iran). Lowu awu vitaniwa ‘seeded apple’ (Punica granatum hixi Latin), ti pomegranate ti hangalake kusuka e vuhuma dyambu nale vupela dyambu laha aku hisa, tindzhawu to oma ta India, Asia Minor nale Mediterranean Coast naswona ati tisiwile hivaxavisi vale Spain e Amerika.
Ti kula eka xinsinyani xintsongo lexinga tlhuma kumbe lexikulu, ti pomegranate tina nhloge yotsindziyela onge i dzovo naswona swiya hi muxaka naswona swinga hambana hi muhlovo- kusuka eka xitshopani kuya eka to tshuka kuya eka purple. Tindzoho totshuka arils (‘seeds’) letinga endzeni tidyiwa titetano, tihumesiwe juzi kumbe ti endliwe swin’wana naswona nhlonge yakona yitirhisiwa eka mirhi ya Ayurvedic na wa ethic.
Muhandzu lowu wu phakela kahle ti antioxidants na mafurha yati pomegranate seed lawa yanga fuwa naku nyikela ti punicic acid (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory) naswona ya tirhisiwa eka switolwa swa nhlonge.

Tinhlayo Nhlayo to Humelerisiwa kati Pomegranates eAfrika Dzonga

©Louise Brodie

Kuhumelerisiwa kati pomegranates e Afrika Dzonga swi sungule eka malembe yava 2000s naswona se swikurile kufikela e henhla ka 930 hectares hi 2018. Swiphiqo swo sungula swa swimilani leswingana mavabyi (black spot) switisiwa kusuka e India hi 2003 swihluriwile hi lembe ra 2005 eka industry yati pomegranate e Afrika Dzonga loko se bindzu risungula kutlakuka.
Kuhumelerisiwa kati pomegranate e Afrika Dzonga switele ngopfu e xifundzeni xa Western Cape (80%) laha swimilani swin’wani swikumekaka e tindzhawini tale Orange River, Limpopo province nale Southern Cape. Sweswi (2018) Afrika Dzonga hi yin’wana ya vaphakeri lavakulu va mune e southern hemisphere (SH) kuya eka timakete tale matikweni mambe. Matiko yan’wana lawa ya phikizana i tiko ra Peru (74% of SH exports), Chili (14%) na Argentina (4%).
Kusukela hi 2012 kuya eka 2017, ku xaviseriwa ka matiko yale handle kati pomegranates switlakukile hi 141%, kambe hi 2018 ku xaviseriwa ka matiko yale handle swivone kuhunguteka ka (19%). Hi 2018 kuve ntsena 1,17 million wati cartons (3.8 kg units) leti xaviseriweke matiko yale handle, loko ku pimanyisiwa na 1,44 million wati cartons hi 2017. Dyandza ra mahlomulo hi 2017/2018 e Western Cape rivange leswaku kuvanaku hunguteka lokukulu eka kuxaviseriwa ka matiko yale handle. Hambi leswi ti pomegranates titsakelaka ndzhawu yo oma, yo kufumela, ntshikelelo wa mati wu hunguta nhlayo ya mihandzu xikan’we na vukulu bya mihandzu.
Matiko ya nharhu yale henhla lawa yanga timakete ta Afrika Dzonga yati pomegranates i Europe, Middle East nale UK. Exikarhi ka 2012 na 2018 kuxaviseriwa ka tiko ra Russia swi tlakukile hi 105% loko kuxaviseriwa ka Middle East switlakuke hi 455%.
Afrika Dzonga yi xavisa ntsena ti pomegranates kusuka e Israel, ngopfu ngopfu muxaka wa ‘Wonderful’. Mintwanano yo xaviselana yi sivela ku xava ti pomegranates kusuka eka matiko yofana na Spain na Italy laha tinxaka tohlawuleka ti humelerisiwaka kona. Tin’wana ta tinxaka leti tikatsa ‘Big Fool’ na ‘Kingdom’ tikamberiwil (under license) e Afrika Dzonga.
Tinhlayo nhlayo ta Packhouse ta vuhumelerisi hinkwabyo bya ti pomegranates e Afrika Dzonga hi leti landzelaka: kwalomu ka 80% ti xaviseriwe e handle, 11% titirhisiwe laha kaya naswona kwalomu ka 9% yi onhakile. Letinga onheka kutele to pandzeka kumbe mihandzu leyingana mavabyi, yoka yinga lulamelanga ku endla juzi. Mihandzu yotala leyinga onheka yitala ku phameriwa tihomu na tinguluve.
Muxaka nkulu wati pomegranate lowu xaviseriwaka matiko yale handle lowu byariwaka e Afrika Dzonga i Wonderful (68%), Herskovitz (14%) na Acco (10%). Kessari/Baghwa i muxaka wati pomegranate leti xavisiwaka ngopfu laha tikweni ra Afrika Dzonga tani hi leswi khwalithi ya tona yinga fikeleleki swipimelo swakuva ti xaviseriwa matiko yale handle.
Misinya yintshwa yotala yati pomegranates e Afrika Dzonga yikumeka etindzhawini ta Limpopo laha 250 - 300 hectares tinga languteriwa ku byariwa kusukela hi 2019. Mihandzu yo suka e Limpopo yinga tshoveriwa eku heleni ka nhweti ya January, leyinga kotaka ku fikelela ti makete tale Northern Hemisphere loko kungase fika ta matiko yan’wana lawa ya phikizanaka yofana na Peru. Misinya leyi yahaku byariwaka eswirhapeni swati pomegranate kutele ngopfu tinxaka tati Wonderful na Acco. Exifundzheni xa Western Cape, swibyariwa swa ‘Angel Red’ (an American cultivar) swile kutlakukeni.

Ku Byariwa kati Pomegranates

©Marinda Louw

Ti pomegranates titsakela maxelo ya Mediterranean - xixika lexi titimelaka xikan’we na ximumu lexi hisaka. Ti chava ngopfu moya na gwitsi. Maxelo lawa ya tsakamaka yanga tisa mavabyi ya fungi. Misinya yilava ku tsemetiwa naswona swivuyerisa eka ncheleto xikan’we naku hungutiwa ka swichocho swa mihandzu loko se yihumile. (Fruit set is when new fruit is just beginning to take shape after flowering.) Ti pomegranates tifanele ku sirheleriwa eka switsotswana (false codling moth, aphids, mealybug, scale, thrips, mites, whitefly, nematodes) na mavabyi. Swiphiqo swa physiological swinga katsa kufayeka endzeni, ku pandzeka ka mihandzu, kuvaviseka hiku gwitsirisiwa na muhandzu lowunga kulangiki kahle.
Misinya yati pomegranate yikula naku tswala mihandzu kuringana ku tlula 30 wa malembe. Ku lulamisa kakahle, ndzulamiso wa misava, swo cheleta na ku hlawuriwa ka muxaka wa swibyariwa swina nkoka loko ungase sungula xirhapa xati pomegranate. Ku humelerisiwa kuya xavisa swilava maendlelo yo hlawuleka ya vurimi naswona swi endliwa hi vahumelerisi lavangana ntokoto.
Pomegranate Producers Association of South Africa (POMASA) yi tumbuluxiwile hi 2009 naswona yi pfuneta ku cincana ka vuxokoxoko exikarhi ka vabyari vati pomegranate, vatirhisi, vaxavisi, ti nurseries na valavisisi e Afrika Dzonga.

Swipimelo Swaku Byariwa kati Pomegranates

Ku byariwa ka ti pomegranates e Afrika Dzonga swinga tikiseriwa hi vukalo bya mati na khwalithi, maxelo eka tindzhawu tinwana xikan’we naku pfumala ntokoto na vutivi eka van’wamapurasi lavantshwa. Vulavisisi byotala eka malawulelo yo antswa ya switsotswana na mavabyi, swibyariwa swintshwa xikan’we na thekinoloji leyi antswisiweke kufana na switolo leswi xavisaka tona ntsena kukatsa na tikhemikhali leti tsarisiweke swita tlakusa ndzulamelo waku xavisela matiko yale handle yati pomegranates ta Afrika Dzonga.

Translated by Ike Ngobeni