The fruit-growing region of Langkloof is facing an agricultural catastrophe following a tornado and severe hailstorm that swept through the eastern part of the valley. The event, which occurred late last Thursday, hit producers at a critical moment: the height of the harvest season for key varieties such as Royal Gala apples and Packham and Forelle pears.
Forelle pears, considered one of the region’s highest-value crops, were the hardest hit. According to local growers, damage in affected areas ranges from 50% to 100%, with large volumes of mature fruit torn from trees by powerful winds, even in orchards protected by hail nets.
Johan Kotzé of Dutoit Agri reported that in some areas losses are total, just two to three weeks before the Forelle harvest was due to begin. Meanwhile, Marius van der Westhuizen of Southern Fruit Growers estimated that damage at his farm near Joubertina averages 87%.
An “unprecedented” phenomenon
Residents expressed shock at the scale of the event. Eyewitnesses described rain falling “almost horizontally” at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. For many, this is the first tornado ever recorded in the valley’s history — a climatic anomaly that has left the community on alert.
Beyond the immediate crop losses, the sector is mourning the lost export opportunity in what had been shaping up to be a highly favourable season. Economic repercussions are expected to extend to related industries such as packing, cold storage and transport.
RELATED NEWS: Port congestion disrupts South African table grape exports
As an emergency measure, the Granor Passi juice factory opened over the weekend to process thousands of boxes of fallen fruit. Although juice prices cover less than half of production costs, the measure provides at least some return for growers compared to a total loss.
Ironically, the storm brought between 20 and 40 mm of rainfall — a welcome amount under normal circumstances in a region that had been suffering from months of drought and dwindling dam levels. However, the price paid for this rainfall has been the destruction of a significant share of the valley’s agricultural wealth.
