Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies is expanding into Africa through a Letter of Intent with irrigation company Cherry Irrigation SA. Under the deal, Roots will provide exclusive marketing, sales, and installation rights to Cherry Irrigation for its Root Temperature Optimisation (RTZO) and Heat Exchange Probe (HEP) technology in South Africa and Namibia.
The agreement marks Roots’ first entry into Africa and provides the company with a significant opportunity for entry into Southern Africa’s lucrative blueberry and cannabis markets. The South African blueberry industry has seen exponential growth during the last five years. The area in which blueberries are planted is expected to increase 17% with most of the production taking place on the Western Cape, where Cherry Irrigation is headquartered. South Africa’s cannabis sector is expected to achieve strong growth following the formalization of a national strategy from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to industrialize and commercialize the sector.
Roots CEO Boaz Wachtel said he was confident the Cherry Irrigation deal coupled with the effectiveness of the RZTO technology will act as a catalyst for broader product uptake.“Securing our first LOI and sales into Africa is a major step for our company and highlights the applicability of our products to farmers and growers globally,” Wachtel said. “We expect our RZTO and HEP technologies to be well received, specifically in a region experiencing large growth in segments in which our product can considerably increase crop yield and crop quality.”
Read more at stockhead.com.au.
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