Imveliso ye Pomegranates eMzantsi Afrika

© Marinda Louw
Kwiminyaka engapha kwama 4 000 eyadlulayo, isiqhamo esingange apile esine nkangeleko yofele nentanga ezibomvu krwe siye saxhaphaka eCentral Asia kunye nase Persia (Iran). Sibizwa okokuba li apile ‘elinentanga’ (okanye Pinica granatum ngesi Latin), ipomegranate iye ngase mpuma nase ntshona ngemimandla eshushu, eyomileyo yase India, Asian Minor kunye ne Mediterranan Coast yaziswa kuma Melika ngabathengisi base Spain.
Ikhula kwimithi emincinci efukufuku okanye emikhulu, ipomegranate inesikhumba esomeleleyo esinenkangeleko yofele kwaye kuxhomekeke kwisilimo zingohluka nangombala – kutyheli ukuya kumbala obomvu ukuya kophantse wamfusa. I-Arils ezibomvu (‘iimbewu’) ngaphakathi zingatyiwa zisentle, zimfaxangwe okanye kwenziwe nye into ngazo kwaye isikhumba sisetyenziswa kuma yeza we Ayurvedi ne ethic.
Esi siqhamo sine anti-oxidants ezininzi kunye ne pomegranate seed oil ityebile kwi punicic acid (antioxidant, anti-inflamatory) kwaye isetyenziswa kwezothambisa ezingaxutywanga nakhemikhali.

Amanani Emveliso we Pomegranate eMzantsi Afrika

©Louise Brodie
Imveliso ye pomegranate eMzantsi Afrika iqale ekuqaleni konyaka ka 2000 kwaye ikhule ngapha kwama 930 hectares ngonyaka ka 2018. Iingxaki zokuqala nezosulelwe zizifo (black spot) isityalo esifunyanwe e-India ngonyaka ka 2003 yoyiswa kwaye ngo 2005 intengiso ye pomegranate eMzantsi Afrika ibiqala ukuxakeka.
Imveliso ye Pomegranate eMzantsi Afrika kakhulu ikwi phondo le Ntshona Koloni (80%) ezinye zityalwe kumandla we Orange River kwiphondo lase Limpopo kunye nase Southern Cape. Okwangoku (2018) uMzantsi Afrika lelinye lamazwe amane amakhulu we Southern Hemisphere (SH) ethengisela iintengiso zamazwe. Awona mazwe ekhuphisana nawo yi Peru (74% ye SH eziphumela ngaphandle), Chile (14%) ne Argentina (4%).
Ukusuka ngonyaka ka 2012 ukuya ku 2017, intengiso yangaphandle ye pomegranates inyuke ngo 141%, kodwa ngo 2018 intengiso yangaphandle ihlile kakhulu ngo (19%). Ngo 2018 kuphela ngamakreti angama 1,17 million. Imbalela enkulu ngo 2017/2018 ethe yathwaxa iNtshona Koloni yenze oku kwehla kwamanani kakhulu kwintengiso yanga phandle. Nangona ipomegranate zithanda indawo eyomileyo, eshushu, uxinzelelo lwamanzi lwenza kwehle amanani eziqhamo nobungakanani beziqhamo.
Awona mazwe mathathu aphambili uMzantsi Afrika owathengiselayo ipomegranate yi Europe, Middle East, kunye ne UK. Phakathi ko 2012 no 2018 intengiso yanga phandle eRussia inyukile ngo 105% logama intengiso yase Middle East inyuke ngo 455%.
U-Mzantsi Afrika uzithenga e-Esrael kuphela ipomegranates, ikakhulu lomhlobo we ‘Wonderful’. Izivumelwano zorhwebo azivumi ukuba eli lithenge ipomegranates kwamanye amazwe afana ne Spain ne Italy apho iintlobo ezohlukileyo ezininzi ziveliswa khona. Ezinye zezintlobo zi ‘Big Fool’ ne ‘Kingdom’ sele zivavanyiwe (ngaphantsi kwe layisenisi) eMzantsi Afrika. Iinkcukacha manani zemveliso yeli lo Mzantsi Afrika ye pomegranates ziyalandela: 80% ethengiswe ngaphandle, 11% isetyenziswe kweli, 9% yamoshakala. Oku ‘kumoshakala’ zeziqhekekile neziqhamo ezine zifo, azingakulungelanga nokuba zimfaxangwe. Inkoliso yezi zi ‘moshakeleyo’ iziqhamo zisetyenziswa ukutyiswa iinkomo neehagu.
Izilimo zentengiso yangaphandle ze pomegranate ezikhuliswa kweli lo Mzantsi Afrika yi Wonderful (68%), Herskovitz (14%) kunye ne Acco (10%). Kessari/Baghwa yeyona pomegranate ithengiswa kakhulu kweli lo Mzantsi Afrika kuba umgangatho wayo amaxesha amaninzi awuyilungeli intengiso yangaphandle.
Izityalo ezininzi ezintsha ze pomegranate eMzantsi Afrika zise Limpopo apho ama 250-300 hectares zilungiswe khona ukuze kutyalwe ngonyaka ka 2019. Iziqhamo zase Limpopo zingavunwa ekupheleni kuka January, ezizakukwazi ukufikelela iNorthern Hemisphere ngentengiso phambi kokufika kweziqhamo zamazwe akhuphisanayo afana ne Peru. Ipomegranate esandula ukutyalwa ezigadini kakhulu inezilimo ze Wonderful ne Acco. eNtshona Koloni, izityalo ze ‘Angel Red’ (Isilimo sase Melika) siyanda.

Ukukhulisa I-Pomegranate

©Marinda Louw
Ipomegranate ikhetha isimo sezulu sase Mediterranean – ubusika obubandayo nehlobo elishushu. Ayidibani nomoya, nombethe. Isimo sezulu ezifumileyo singongeza kwizifo zokungunda.
Imithi idinga ukuchetywa, kwaye zingazuza ukunkenkceshelwa nokucheba iziqhamo ezingafunekiyo xasele ziphumile iziqhamo. Ipomegranates kufuneka zikhuselwe kwi nkumbi (false codling moth, aphids, mealybug, scale, thrips, mites, whitefly, nematodes) kunye nezifo.
Imeko zangaphandle zingaquka ukophuka ngaphakathi, ukuqhekeka kwesiqhamo, ukonakala ngenxa yengqele, neziqhamo ezizidalwa.
Imithi ye pomegranate ikhula ivelise iziqhamo kwiminyaka engapha kwama 30. Ukucwangcisa kakuhle, ukulungisa umhlaba, indlela yokunkcenkceshela nokukhetha isilimo kubalulekile phambi kokuqala igadi yazo. Imveliso yentengiso ifuna iindlela ezikhethekile zolimo kwaye yenziwa ngabavelisi beziqhamo abanamava.
I-Pomegranate Producers Association of South Africa (POMASA) isekwe ngo 2009 kwaye idibanisa ulwazi phakathi kwabakhulisi be pomegranate, abenzi, abathengisi, indawo zokuyenzela, kunye nophando eMzantsi Afrika.

Ezivalelela Ukukhulisa iPomegranates

Ukukhulisa iipomegranates eMzantsi Afrika kungavalelwa kukungabikho nomgangatho wamanzi, isimo sezulu kwindawo ezithile, nokungabina sakhono nolwazi kuma fama amatsha. Uphando olongezelekileyo ngendlela zolawulo lwenkumbi nezifo, izilimo ezintsha kunye nokufumana ezobuchwephesha ezingcono ezifana nevenkile ezipakishileyo kunye nentlobo zekhemikhali zizakwandisa intengiso yangaphandle kwi pomegranates zeli lo Mzantsi Afrika.

Translated by Zikhona Plaatjie