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Hortgro represents and supports South Africa’s deciduous fruit growers, the farmers who grow apples, pears and stone fruit such as plums, peaches and apricots. Hortgro works from Paarl, in the heart of the Western Cape’s fruit-growing region, and coordinates research, market access and industry development for one of South Africa’s significant agricultural export industries.
- Registered name
- Hortgro
- Type
- Industry body (deciduous fruit)
- Fields funded
- Agricultural sciences and related qualifications for the fruit industry
- Website
- hortgro.co.za
- Phone
- 021 870 2900
Research that growers use
Hortgro funds and publishes practical orchard research, much of it about water and soil. One project quantifies the water requirements of high-performing pear orchards. Another study investigates water use in full-bearing Japanese plum orchards and how water availability affects fruit yield and quality. Hortgro also explains soil health tests, which show growers whether their soil supports the microbes and plants an orchard depends on.
Hortgro’s articles connect today’s work to earlier research. Water scarcity was already a recognised risk in 1998, when Dr Theresa Volschenk and colleagues at what is now the ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij began investigating soil water, and Hortgro-funded studies continue to compare how trees perform under different conditions.
Why Hortgro funds students
Research like this needs agricultural scientists, soil scientists, plant physiologists and horticulturists, and fruit farms need skilled managers. Hortgro offers bursaries to students pursuing agricultural science and related qualifications, according to a provider record checked in August 2026, and BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide describes the programme as developing future leaders and specialists for the deciduous fruit industry.
Our Hortgro guide has not been refreshed with 2027 dates, so confirm the current call with Hortgro.
How to research Hortgro before applying
Read several of Hortgro’s research articles and choose a topic that interests you, such as irrigation, soil health or fruit quality. A student who can discuss a real orchard challenge shows Hortgro genuine interest in the industry rather than in funding alone.
Email or call Hortgro in Paarl to ask when the bursary opens, which universities and qualifications qualify, and whether bursars gain practical experience on fruit farms or in research projects.
Deciduous fruit exports also depend on packhouses, cold storage and shipping, so students in food science, logistics and agricultural economics can ask whether Hortgro supports those fields too. Hortgro’s research also covers pest and disease management, which offers topics for entomology and plant pathology students.
Agriculture students can compare Hortgro with other funders on our Science Bursaries page.
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