Ukukhiqizwa kwamaHalananda eNingizimu Afrika

Pomegranates are harvested in the summer months in South Africa. Harvesting starts with the early-ripening cultivar Acco, picked from February.

Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-4 000 eyedlule, isithelo esinama-apula esikhumba esinemikhono ebomvu saziwa kakhulu e-Central Asia nasePheresiya (Iran). Ebizwa ngokuthi 'i-apple seeded' (noma i-Punica granatum ngesiLatini), igromegranate isakazeka empumalanga nasentshonalanga ezindaweni ezishisayo, ezomile zaseNdiya, e-Asia Minor naseMedithera Coast futhi zaziswa emazweni aseMelika ngabadayisi baseSpain.
Ukukhula ezihlahleni ezincane eziyisihlahla noma izihlahla ezinkulu, igromegranati inesikhumba esinzima esikhumba futhi kuye ngokuthi umlimi ungahluka kanjani - kusuka ophuzi futhi obomvu ube cishe obomvu. Amakhemikhali abomvu ('imbewu') angadliwa ahlanzekile, ama-juiced noma asetshenziswe futhi isikhumba sisetshenziselwa imithi ye-Ayurvedic nemikhuba emihle.
Isithelo ngumthombo omuhle kakhulu we-antioxidants kanye namafutha omhlophe wegromegranate ngumthombo ocebile we-punicic acid (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory) futhi osetshenziselwa izimonyo zemvelo nokunakekelwa kwesikhumba.

Izibalo Zokukhiqiza Zamahalananda eNingizimu Afrika

©Louise Brodie

The late-ripening 'Wonderful' is the most widely grown pomegranate in South Africa.

Ukukhiqizwa kwamapomegranati eNingizimu Afrika kwaqala kuphela ekuqaleni kuka-2000 futhi kuye kwakhula kwaba ngamahektha angaphezu kuka-930 ngo-2018. Izinkinga zokuqala ezinezinto ezifakwe isifo esinegciwane (black spot) ezivela eNdiya ngonyaka ka-2003 zanqotshwa futhi ngo-2005 imboni yamapomegranati eNingizimu I-Afrika iqala ukuqhuma.
Ukukhiqizwa kwamapomegranati eNingizimu Afrika ngokuyinhloko kusekelwe eNtshonalanga Kapa (80%) nezinye izindawo eziseLand River River, esifundazweni saseLimpopo naseningizimu Kapa.
Okwamanje (i-2018) iNingizimu Afrika ingomunye wabanikeli abane abakhulu baseningizimu (SH) abasuka emazweni angaphandle. Amazwe amakhulu omncintiswano yiPeru (ama-74% we-SH amazwe), i-Chili (14%) ne-Argentina (4%).
Kusukela ngo-2012 kuya ku-2017, ukuthekeliswa kwamapomegranati kuye kwanda ngo-141%, kodwa ngo-2018 ukuthunyelwa kwamanye amazwe kubonile ukuwa kwezinto eziphawulekayo (19%). Ngo-2018 kuphela amakoloni angu-1,17 million (amayunithi angu-3.8 kg) athunyelwa ngaphandle, uma kuqhathaniswa namakoloni angu-1,44 million ngo-2017. Isomiso esibhubhisayo ngo-2017/2018 eNtshonalanga Kapa kubangele ukwehla okukhulu kwamanye amazwe. Nakuba amahalananda ekhetha izimo ezomile, ezifudumele, ukucindezeleka kwamanzi kubangela ukunciphisa izinombolo zezithelo kanye nosayizi wesithelo.
Izimakethe eziphezulu ezingenayo ezi-3 zamahalananda aseNingizimu Afrika yiYurophu, i-Middle East ne-UK. Phakathi kuka-2012 no-2018 ukuthunyelwa ngaphandle kwezwe kuya eRussia kuye kwanda ngo-105% ngenkathi amazwe athunyelwa ngaphandle eMpumalanga Ephakathi yanda ngo-455%.
INingizimu Afrika ingenisa kuphela amapomegranati avela kwa-Israyeli, ikakhulukazi ehlukahlukene 'Emangalisayo'. Izivumelwano zokuhweba zivimbela ukungenisa kwamahalananda avela emazweni anjengeSpain nase-Italy lapho kunezinhlobo eziphakeme ezikhiqizwa khona. Ezinye zalezi zinhlobo ezifana 'Big Foot' kanye 'Kingdom' sezivivinyelwe (ngaphansi kwelayisense) eNingizimu Afrika.
Izibalo zePackhouse zohlobo lokukhiqiza kwamahalananda aseNingizimu Afrika zilandelayo: cishe ama-80% athengisiwe, ama-11% asetshenziselwa endaweni kanye ne-9% iyimfucuza. Lokhu 'imfucumfucu' ikakhulukazi isithelo esiqhekekile nesifo, engafanele ngisho ne-juicing. Iningi lalezi zithelo 'zokudoba' zisetshenziselwa ukondla izinkomo nezingulube.
Ama-cultivar amakhulu okuthumela ama-pomegranate asetshalwe eNingizimu Afrika ayamangalisa (68%), uHerskovitz (14%) no-Acco (10%). I-Kessari / Baghwa yi-pomegranati ikakhulukazi ethengiswa eNingizimu Afrika njengoba ikhwalithi engapheli kahle ngokwanele ekuthunyelwa kwamanye amazwe.
Izitshalo eziningi zamapomegranati eNingizimu Afrika zitholakala ezindaweni zaseLimpopo lapho kuhlelwe khona amahektha angu-250 kuya ku-300 okutshala ngo-2019. Izithelo zaseLimpopo zingavuna ekupheleni kukaJanuwari, okuzokwazi ukufinyelela ezimakethe zaseNyakatho Hemisphere ngaphambi kwezithelo ukuncintisana amazwe afana nePeru. Izithelo zemigomegranate esanda kuhlwanyelwa ziqukethe ikakhulukazi ama-cultivars Wonderful and Acco. E-Western Cape, ukutshala kwe 'Angel Red' (i-American cultivar) kuyanda.

Ukukhula Kwamahalananda

©Marinda Louw

Pomegranates need proper soil preparation, pruning, trellising and sometimes special protection against sunburn.

Amapomegranati akhetha isimo sezulu saseMedithera - ubusika obubandayo kanye namahlobo ashisayo. Izwela umoya neqhwa. Amazulu ahlaziye angabangela izifo ze-fungal.
Izihlahla zidinga izihlahla futhi zizuze ekunkcenkcesheni nasekuqotheni izithelo zezinhlamvu emva kwezithelo ezibekiwe. (Izithelo zibekwe lapho izithelo ezintsha seziqala ukuma emva kokuchichima.) Amapomegranati kumele avikeleke ezimpilweni (i-moth, ama-aphid, i-mealybug, i-scale, i-thrips, izibungu, i-whitefly, i-nematodes) nezifo.
Izinkinga ezingokwemvelo zingabandakanya ukuwohloka kwangaphakathi, ukulimaza izithelo, ukulimala kwesibindi kanye nezithelo ezikhubazekile.
Izihlahla zePomegranate zikhula futhi zithela izithelo iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-30. Ukuhlela okulungile, ukulungiselela umhlabathi, izinhlelo zokunisela nokukhethwa kokulima kuyadingeka ngaphambi kokusungula insimu yezithelo zamapomegranate. Ukukhiqiza kwezohwebo kudinga imikhuba ekhethekile yokulima futhi kwenziwa ngabakhiqizi bezithelo abanolwazi.
Umhlangano WamaPomgranate Producers of South Africa (POMASA) wasungulwa ngo-2009 futhi uhlela ukushintshaniswa ngolwazi phakathi kwabalimi bamagomegranate, abacubungula, abadayisi bamakethe, abahlengikazi nabacwaningi eNingizimu Afrika.

Izinkinga

Amapomegranati akhula eNingizimu Afrika angabanjwa ukutholakala kanye nemfanelo yamanzi, isimo sezulu ezindaweni ezithile kanye nokungabi namakhono nolwazi kubalimi abasha. Ucwaningo oluthe xaxa lwezinambuzane ezingcono kakhulu zokulawulwa kwezinambuzane kanye nezifo, izilimo ezintsha kanye nobuchwepheshe obuphuthumayo ezifana nezitolo zokupaka ezikhethekile kanye nohlu olubanzi lwamakhemikhali abhalisiwe luyokwandisa amandla okuthekelisa amahalananda aseNingizimu Afrika.

Translated by Nsika Khoza