Karoo Harvest Produce — Products & Production Plan
The farm will cultivate three principal onion varieties to diversify market exposure and optimise revenue across multiple sales channels:
Section 5 · Business Plan
Products & Production Plan
The farm will cultivate three principal onion varieties to diversify market exposure and optimise revenue across multiple sales channels:
5.1 Product Range
The farm will cultivate three principal onion varieties to diversify market exposure and optimise revenue across multiple sales channels:
| Product | Allocation | Target Market | Expected Price (R/kg) |
| Brown Onions (Texas Grano type) | 65% (65 ha) | Fresh markets, supermarkets | R4.50 – R5.50 |
| Red Onions (Star type) | 20% (20 ha) | Retail, food service | R5.50 – R7.00 |
| White Onions | 15% (15 ha) | Processing, export | R4.00 – R5.00 |
All products will be graded and packed according to South African Agricultural Product Standards (APS) regulations. Export consignments will additionally comply with GLOBALG.A.P. certification requirements.
5.2 Farm Layout & Land Allocation
| Land Use | Area (ha) | Purpose |
| Onion Production | 100 | Commercial onion cultivation under irrigation |
| Crop Rotation | 20 | Lucerne, wheat, or green manure cover crops |
| Infrastructure | 8 | Pack house, cold storage, offices, staff housing |
| Roads & Firebreaks | 5 | Internal farm roads and safety infrastructure |
| Buffer / Reserve | 7 | Expansion reserve and environmental buffer |
| TOTAL | 140 | Total farm footprint (120 ha cultivated) |
5.3 Production Methodology
The production system will employ precision agriculture principles to maximise yield quality and resource efficiency:
Planting & Cultivation
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Seedling Propagation: Onion seedlings will be sourced from certified nurseries (Hygrotech or Klein Karoo Seed Marketing) to ensure genetic uniformity and disease-free planting material.
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Precision Planting: Mechanical transplanting at optimal plant densities (350,000–400,000 plants per hectare) using GPS-guided planting equipment.
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Fertigation: Nutrient delivery through the drip irrigation system, enabling precise NPK application based on weekly soil and leaf tissue analysis.
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Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Proactive scouting programme with biological controls as first-line defence, supplemented by targeted chemical applications only as required.
Expected Yield Profile
| Metric | Conservative | Base Case | Optimistic |
| Yield per hectare | 55 tonnes | 72 tonnes | 85 tonnes |
| Total production (100 ha) | 5,500 tonnes | 7,200 tonnes | 8,500 tonnes |
| Marketable percentage | 82% | 88% | 92% |
| Marketable output | 4,510 tonnes | 6,336 tonnes | 7,820 tonnes |
Post-Harvest Handling
Post-harvest operations are critical to product quality and shelf life. The Company will invest in modern curing, grading, and cold storage infrastructure:
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Field Curing: 10–14 day natural curing in windrows to reduce moisture content and develop protective outer skins.
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Mechanical Grading: Automated grading line capable of processing 15 tonnes per hour, sorting by size, weight, and external quality.
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Cold Storage: 2,000-tonne capacity controlled atmosphere facility maintaining 0–2°C and 65–70% relative humidity for up to 6 months storage.
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Packaging: Automated packing into 7kg, 10kg, and 25kg bags for different market channels.
5.4 Production Cycle Timeline
The annual production calendar follows a two-crop rotation system to maximise annual output and spread seasonal risk:
| Activity | Crop 1 (Main) | Crop 2 (Second) |
| Seedling Preparation | January–February | July–August |
| Land Preparation | February–March | August–September |
| Transplanting | March–April | September–October |
| Growing Period | April–August | October–January |
| Harvesting | August–September | January–February |
| Curing & Grading | September–October | February–March |
| Market Sales | October–March | March–August |
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