An unusually cold winter for South Africa had a particularly acute impact on blueberry orchards in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga that are not generally associated with low temperatures.

Freezing temperatures - damage occurring below -1,5ºC, dropping to -8ºC in Lydenburg - caused blueberry blossoms and young fruit to freeze, causing cell disruption.

The low cooling requirement of blueberries grown in these parts blooms very early, in winter, to be able to be an export crop at this time of year, when there is a good window to the UK and Europe, increasingly also to the Middle and Far East.

Widespread cold damage has been reported in the north of the country, in different cultivars, with some unfortunate growers three times subject to freezing incidents during the first part of the season.

South African production is estimated to decline by 22.000 tons due to cold damage, reaching the expected XNUMX tons of blueberries this season.

These cold waves were also responsible for the freezing of the belly buttons in the Senwes region (Marble Hall and Groblersdal), with devastating consequences for the packages.