Grower representatives and the authorities are working hard to address problems of water pollution in the Berg River area of South Africa that some producers said threatened their exports to Europe.
Anton Rabe of the Deciduous Friut Producers Trust (DFPT) told the Journal that work is ongoing. "The bottom lines is that the problem has been identified and we are working with the water and agriculture departments of the Western Cape government and the municipality of Drakenstein to make sure this does not happen again," said Rabe.
The problem stemmed from a broken sewage pipe originating in informal settlements along the river. The problem can be aggravated by high temperatures, which cause bacteria, such as e-coli found in human faeces, to thrive. Rainfall can also help keep the water clean, but also flush any bacteria further downstream to fruit farms.
But the DFPT also pointed out that the risk to fruit crops is lower than to other agricultural products. "Tree-fruit crops are not in contact with the soil so the risk is low," said Rabe. "This does not mean that we don’t take it seriously."
The main export crops grown in the Berg River area of the Western Cape are grapes and stone fruit.
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