Peaches value chain

Producers source budded peach trees on nematode resistant rootstock selected for fruit type, chill requirement and harvest timing. South Africa grows both cling and freestone cultivars with cling peaches serving the extensive local canning industry.

Peach orchards require fruit thinning to optimise size, brown rot and Oriental fruit moth management and careful irrigation during the final swell stage. Climate variability and insufficient chill units are growing challenges affecting consistent fruit quality and yield.

Peaches are hand picked at the colour break stage with multiple passes through the orchard as fruit ripens unevenly. Careful handling into padded bins is essential as peaches bruise easily and bruise damage only becomes visible after several days in the cool chain.

Fruit is graded by size and colour, rapidly cooled and packed into single layer display trays for fresh market or bulk bins for canneries. Hydrocooling followed by cold storage at minus half a degree celsius achieves optimal shelf life for fresh market peaches.

Cling peaches are halved, pitted and canned in syrup or juice for domestic and export markets. South Africa has a significant canned peach industry and processing captures the majority of the crop value, particularly from cling cultivars not suited for fresh consumption.

Fresh freestone peaches are distributed through retail and wholesale while canned peaches serve domestic retail shelves and export markets. The dual fresh and processed market structure provides revenue stability across seasonal and market price fluctuations.