SOUTH AFRICA – The Joburg Market has introduced a state-of-the-art banana ripening facility, aiming to enhance the quality and market value of fresh produce like bananas, pawpaw, and avocados for farmers in South Africa and Mozambique.

This new facility, equipped with 57 ripening rooms, has the capacity to handle over 1,500 pallets simultaneously, ensuring a controlled ripening process.

The facility maintains specific temperatures to ripen different fruits optimally: bananas at 12-16°C, pawpaw at 32°C, and avocados at 24°C.

The ripening process is carefully monitored, with adjustments made based on the fruit’s condition to ensure the best possible outcome.

A spokesperson from the Joburg Market emphasized the importance of this new facility for farmers.

“The Joburg Market has set a high standard with the banana ripening facility, making it an essential partner for any farmer who wants to optimize their harvest,” the spokesperson said.

Despite the challenges posed by load-shedding, the Joburg Market has ensured that the ripening process remains uninterrupted.

The facility is connected to the Moffat and Weppenaar substations’ ring feed and supported by a 7.81MVA generation farm with multiple generators.

This robust setup guarantees continuous operation, preventing external power issues from disrupting the ripening process.

The facility offers an affordable solution for farmers, charging R17.20 (USD 0.97) per pallet per day, excluding VAT.

This cost-effective service aims to enhance the value of produce by ensuring that fruits reach the sales halls in optimal condition, thus reducing waste and increasing marketability.

The introduction of the new banana ripening facility comes in the wake of significant challenges faced by the Joburg Market earlier this year.

Faulty cold storage units triggered financial setbacks for Gauteng’s agricultural community, resulting in multi-million-rand losses.

During a recent oversight inspection, the Democratic Alliance (DA) uncovered alarming issues, including compromised quality and longevity of fresh produce due to inadequate cold storage facilities and malfunctioning banana ethylene ripening rooms.

Traders, who rely heavily on the Joburg Market as a crucial hub for fresh produce distribution, have been struggling with these inadequate facilities.

Some have been forced to invest heavily in their own ripening rooms to salvage perishable goods, further straining the financial resources of farmers already burdened by these setbacks.

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