26 ha Farm in Knysna Rural

This 26.23-hectare blue berry farming enterprise is reached by means of the tarred Barrington Road turnoff from the N2 between Sedgefield and Knysna. It consists of 2 adjacent title deeds.

The main farming activity on the farming enterprise is the production of quality blueberries for the export market, covering about 10-hectares of the acreage. About 6,000 plants per hectare are planted directly into the soil. A variety of probes are active in the plantings where the temperature, water usage and humidity data are collected on a continual basis. The expected production volume/tonnage produce during the 2024 harvest season would be 130 150 tons. The younger plantings gradually increased its annual production, and the expected tonnage will be 210 tonnes during 2026 harvest season.

The blueberry production is under a licence agreement through a marketing company to grow the registered cultivar. A full EIA was conducted and approved for blueberry production. Superior guidance to create a recipe for maximising the yield and quality is supplied by the buyer, together with agronomy experts who continually analyse the soil and water. The export market is mainly in Indonesia, Mauritius, England and Europe.

All the berry blocks are under good quality flat top shade netting structures with a lifespan of about 25 years. The blocks perimeter is enclosed with 18 wire strand electric fencing. The fencing and netting are in good repair.

An 3,5-hectare unplanted irrigation land is earmarked for development to expand the blueberry plantings. The rest of the acreage is fallow land, undisturbed fynbos valleys, wetlands, storage dam, dwellings, sheds and storage, parking areas and various internal roads. The general condition of the farm and infrastructure is neat, well-managed and well-maintained. The earmarked 3,5-hectare section has already been cleaned, enclosed with 18 wire strand electrified fencing and is ready to be planted. The possibility exists to also go into venture partnerships with the neighbouring farms.

The topography consists of slightly inclined slopes descending towards the low-lying deep valleys where the storage dam and protected natural veldt are. Because of the topography there are multiple sensors in each berry block to monitor the climate over time.

Water and soil are the lifeblood of the agricultural industry, and its success depends on a variety of soil types and the management thereof. The arable soils vary from lower to high potential reddish clay and non-red duplex soils with calcareous subsoil. The slopes are well-drained. Drainage infrastructure is good and effective. Along the dam and valleys are wetlands which are too wet to utilize as arable land. These areas can be used for grazing.

The daily summer climate is moderate to hot and humid, and winters are cooler with an annual average of 682 mm precipitation. The temperature varies from 16C - 28C in the mid-summer to 9C - 22C during winter. The winter nights are mostly frost free. The prevailing winds are the southeaster during summer, and the north-westerly during winter.

For optimal blueberry production, it was important to choose the cultivars that best suit the climate.

A single storey farmhouse, known as the Zink house, offers accommodation to the farm supervisor and his family. It is situated at the entrance of the farm from where the supervisor has good views of who enters the area by road. A 5-Kva solar system with inverter supplies electricity to this house which is not in good repair. There are no staff houses.

An old labourers cottage is converted into modern office space with a stoep overlooking the storage dam and blueberry blocks.

Farming infrastructure includes a 300 sq. metre cooler room shed with pre-cooling blast chill room, large main cooler room, maintenance workshop, receive/dispatch area, staff canteen and 40 sq. metre staff room, chemical container room and fertiliser storage area. The shed is a steel-framed building with corrugated steel roof and concrete floor. These buildings are situated conveniently close to the middle of the farming enterprise. There is also a separate staff ablution block with outside hand-wash basins. A 3-phase LOVOL 80-Kva diesel backup generator kicks in as alternative power source when Eskoms loadshedding occurs.

The pumphouse with a little office and storage area, and the fertilizer storage room, are on the edge of the storage dam.

Picking starts as early as July till the end of November. Loyal labourers are used to do hand picking. Freshly picked berries are transported by quad bikes to the pre-cooler facility immediately after picking. About 80% of the production is exported and the rest is sold on die local market.

The farming enterprise enjoys platinum audit status with GlobalGAP and SIZA accreditation and everything is audited and recorded. The previous 3 years carbon footprint data is available. Any pesticide use is in strict compliance with South African, European and CODEX laws and regulations.

Contracts are signed, honoured and still in place with a leader in exporting logistics, and also with the grower supplying superior blueberry genetics. In essence, the farming enterprise is only a producer off the berries and the buyer takes all the berries. Basically, the farming operation operates like franchise.

The registered water usage rights are 100,000 m3 per annum from the Karatara River. This water supply is efficient for the existing blueberries vineyards under irrigation as well as for future expansions. Water is pumped directly from the storage dam and, after being filtered, it is reticulated around the various blocks from the booster pump station into the permanent drip irrigation systems.

For sale as a going concern at R28,5 million, vehicles, farming equipment and all contracts, data and information included. Excluded are the 2024 harvest and associated income.