– Maryna Steyn, ProAgri
Situated near the town of Siphofaneni in Eswatini, the rich soil of Norsa farm provides the perfect growing spot for pineapple. But with uneven terrain and a significant height difference between the water source and crops, designing an efficient irrigation system is not a straightforward task.
Back in 2016, Rhodes food group entrusted the irrigation giant Agrico to design an irrigation system for the cultivation of pineapples here. Seven years later, the partnership can look back at the various challenges and many more successes of the Norsa journey.
It all started when a congruent of Agrico approached them. They realised that the size of the project would be more than they could handle, so instead they involved Agrico to develop the irrigation system.
The Agrico team started by surveying the farm, followed by designing the system and then finally commissioning the construction. The carefully designed system ensures an efficient system for both electricity and water use.
“This is the first pineapple production I have heard of that irrigates with centre pivots,” says Francois de Kock, project leader from Agrico. “It was quite challenging to clear the thicket with pangas to see where we could place the centre pivots.”
The project was completed in five phases. A total of 1 250 hectares is under irrigation: 800 hectares are irrigated with 25 Agrico centre pivots and canon sprinklers cover the areas in between.
Assisting clients with challenging irrigation projects is not only rewarding to the Agrico team, but also intriguing.
“The height difference between the water source and the highest point irrigated is 165 metres,” Francois points out. “For most crops, it’s not recommended to pump water to that height because of the high energy expenditure. Luckily, because pineapples are a high-value crop with a low water need, the endeavor was worth it.”
To mitigate the challenges associated with pumping water at an incline, Agrico used a series of three balancing dams and six pump stations with a total of 28 pumps. “We move the water up to a certain height, collect it in the dam, and pump it to the next dam from which the fields are irrigated. This helps us to save as much energy as possible.”
According to Francois, automation is critical in ensuring the system runs effectively and without wasting electricity.
“Agrico Web Control controls and automates everything: from pumping water into the dams and overseeing the dam levels, to managing the pumps and centre pivots.”
Particularly useful on farms with changing elevations like Norsa, Agrico Web Control uses GPS functionality to increase energy savings. Agrico Web Control can determine the position of the last tower in a centre pivot and can monitor the pressure at the end of each pivot, as it moves across the fields.
The pivot is continuously communicating with the pumps about its pressure needs at any moment, so the pumps can adjust to use the bare minimum of electricity to maintain the necessary pressure.
Agrico has been with the project from the start and will continue to support them.
“The benefit of knowing your irrigation provider from start-to-finish is that we can also monitor the system’s performance and efficiency from our side and recommend when service or maintenance is needed,” Francois adds.
Norsa will soon see the beginning of phase six where Agrico will continue to prove that under their irrigation, pineapples are living the sweet life.
We are excited to announce that four brand new Agrico tautliners are on the road. These new additions to our fleet will further enhance our logistical capabilities and ensure that the optimal irrigation solution is making its way to you. Take alook at some photos of these behemoths!
We are pleased to announce that Waterfall Irrigation in Robertson will be joining Agrico, with effect 1 November 2023. We intend to add value in Robertson by providing a complete product range, solid technical support and long term corporate stability.
We are thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Nedbank Commercial Banking, to offer you enhanced financing options for your new centre-pivot irrigation systems.
The rich soil of Norsa farm provides the perfect growing spot for pineapple. But with a significant height difference between the water source and crops, designing an efficient irrigation system is not a straightforward task. In 2016, Rhodes food group entrusted the irrigation giant Agrico to design an irrigation system for the cultivation of pineapples here.
The need to improve load capacity and mitigate energy costs was the primary catalyst behind the recent installation of a solar energy system near Ohrigstad. Agrico Tzaneen wanted to ensure their client Cor Cross enjoyed uninterrupted irrigation and minimal crop and yield losses. With some help, they pulled off a solar system which achieves exactly this.
Agrico lewer ’n verskeidenheid produkte, maar in ons hart is besproeiing die fokus. Dit is ook wat ons hierdie jaar gaan demonstreer by NAMPO Kaap, wat plaasvind 13 – 16 September 2023 in Bredasdorp. Kom maak ‘n draai en vra jou vrae. Ons sien uit om jou te help om jou optimale en mees doeltreffende besproeiingsoplossing te ontdek!
