Cherries

The production of cherries is a new extension to The Karsten Group’s fruit farming activities at Hoogland in the Western Cape. Seven new generation cherry varieties, which are suited to the local conditions have been planted and are harvested between weeks 48 and 52.

The cherry belongs to the Prunus group. It is a fleshy fruit that contains a single stony seed. The cherry is sometimes understood to have been brought to Rome from north-eastern Anatolia, historically known as the Pontus region in 72 BC.

The establishment of a cherry industry in the Ceres region is a major new development in the expansion of production in South Africa with exports expected to steadily increase in future.