honey bush tea - Department of Agriculture: Western Cape

honeybush species has, however, diminished over the years, affecting the income of
the harvesters.
Through intervention of various stakeholders, commercial cultivation of honeybush has
been encouraged. At present, there are approximately 20 producers and two
communities, which supply seven processors. There are also about 15 marketers that
facilitate the marketing process. The cultivation in the communities is estimated at
approximately 15 hectares of dry land. Production per hectare is estimated at between
2 and five tons for sprouting species like Cyclopia intermedia and Cyclopia genistoides
and could be up to 10 tons for higher yielding species such as Cyclopia subternata
(wwwcapehoneybushtea.co.za).
Even the commercial plantings that are available at present are still perceived to be
totally inadequate to represent a meaningful industry. Therefore more hectares devoted
to honeybush cultivation are crucial from both nature conservation and the
establishment of the industry especially for efficient development of the international
market. The product therefore is a cash crop except the re-sprouting species and can
be ready to be harvested within a year and hence supply can be increased over a short
period of time. But, if the situation remains as it is at the moment, this could jeopardise
export opportunities in markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan
where demand is prevalent for this product.
Another critical factor is rainfall, as production is carried in dryland, which is cost saving
but yield compromising. Rainfall is crucial in honeybush production, as it strongly
affects yield and quality and hence pricing and or optimum margins in both domestic
and international markets. Another critical factor is the absence of official standards for
taste and flavour, physical properties and micro-organism counts especially for the
international market. In the last eight years though, the industry has seen an
improvement in the quality of tea and the establishment of export standards,
construction of large processing and packaging facilities (Wesgro, 1999).
However, the competitive advantage of the product lies on its uniqueness to the
Western Cape, the only area where it is found in its natural habitat. Also, being natural,
organic and the health benefits associated with it can be added to its advantage
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