Plans to revive SA’s groundnut industry

In South Africa, groundnuts are produced mainly for local consumption as peanuts and for the manufacturing of peanut butter, with some volume allocated towards niche export markets. The value of the industry is estimated to be around R2,5 billion.

Production of the crop, however, is at a crossroads, according to producer Lourens de Kock from Setlagole in North West. Between 8 000ha and 10 000ha of irrigated groundnut production were in the recent past lost to other longterm crops such as pecan nuts and olives, as well as seasonal crops, including lucerne and cotton. The number of hectares earmarked for dryland production has also decreased markedly, mainly due to severe, multi-year drought or