WINDHOEK – Desert Fruit Namibia, a date farm that actively farms and markets speciality varieties, including Medjool, Zamli, Khallas and Barhi, has expressed confidence in the upcoming harvest of the fresh dates, which is envisaged for end of January or early February 2020.
Managing Director Seth Holmes advised that the company has been steadily improving its fresh offering, specifically with the Barhi variety and is focused on tonnage growth, as well as quality.
“We know that our fresh dates are sought after, especially in the Middle and Far East, and there has also been a steady growth market into Europe. We ship fresh and allow our dates to ripen at the consumer. This gives them the option to be eaten fresh at all stages of ripening, especially the Ruthab date.”
Technical Manager of the farm Charles Edmonds added that Desert Fruit has been working with the Barhi to bring a quality offering to the market. “Barhi is the traditional fresh varietal, which offers large round fruit. Our farm production managers are confident of a good quality product in the New Year.”
Desert Fruit has previously exported fresh dates to the Far East, Indian Ocean islands, the Middle East, the UAE – and lately, Europe is a growing market, adding to its export countries.
The dates are air freighted within 72 hours of harvest to meet the highest quality demands of the market and ensure the offering is of the best international standard. The next harvest will be ready for shipping before Ramadan.
Desert Fruit (Pty) Ltd is a Namibian-registered private company, with the objective to produce, grow and sell high-value agricultural crops for the international market.
Business operations are located at the banks of the Orange River, which demarcates the border between South Africa and Namibia.
It was incorporated in 2005 to take advantage of the limited supply of dates from the Southern Hemisphere, and serves as a vehicle for social uplifment in the area, while caring for the environmental resources entrusted to it.
Desert Fruit was established in 2005. The first date palms were planted in 2006 to take advantage of a fifteen-year window to produce fresh dates for Ramadan.
The farm is one of a handful of date producers in the Southern Hemisphere. Thus far, 22 000 trees have been planted. Production is expected to increase significantly over the coming years as successive plantings develop and more trees mature.