The Mooketsi packhouse in Limpopo, South Africa, will be one of the largest post-harvest avocado handling facilities in the world when in full use.
The 11 200m2 facility will be used to pack avocados and tomatoes and is set to have the first avocados packed and shipped in February of next year. Apart from packing for the ZZ2, the facility will also service the strategic partnership between ZZ2, Mission Produce and Core Fruit.
“The facility will help to unlock the potential for avocado growers in the province,” according to Ian van Brouwershaven, ZZ2 engineer and project manager.
Operations of the facility will be phased in as production in Limpopo expands. Phase 1 has created a 30 metric ton (MT) per hour avocado packing ability which will be expanded to 60MT/hour in the foreseeable future.
Eventually, the packhouse will be able to handle 70 000MT per year. This unlocks the potential to expand avocado plantings to 3 500 hectares which in turn will further create 5 000 jobs.
Van Brouwershaven told media that ZZ2’s avocado expansion program extends from the 1980s. “This new packhouse will support future development for the next decade, up until 2030.”
Since ZZ2 is also the biggest tomato producer in the country, the pack line has been designed to accommodate tomatoes during the off-season. “The facility will be able to process up to 40 000MT, contributing to the facility’s cost-effectiveness.”
The pack house’s design contributes to sustainable use and re-use of resources such as harvesting of rainwater and collecting condensation from the refrigeration chambers to be recirculated into the cooling system. The floor plan design also allows for minimum movement and handling of people and produce to ensure that logistic costs are curbed.
Equipment features scanning technology that automatically sorts produce according to class, size, and colour.
Source: FreshFruitPortal