South Africa’s table grape body is using Fruit Attraction to reassure international trading partners of the industry’s readiness and reliability for the season ahead
With a stable 2026/27 crop outlook and a focus on strengthening logistics resilience ahead of the Southern Hemisphere export season, South Africa’s table grape organisation Sati has said it will deliver a message of strength to the European trade at Fruit Attraction in Madrid.
Fruit Attraction remains an important platform for the South African table grape industry, bringing together suppliers, international buyers and logistics role players from across the fresh produce value chain.
The industry body said its initial 2026/27 crop estimate indicates a harvest of 78.4mn 4.5kg-equivalent cartons inspected for export, with a lower range of 76.8mn cartons and an upper range of about 79.9mn cartons.
“This provides a stable production base for the season ahead, supporting South Africa’s continued ability to supply international markets during the Southern Hemisphere export window,” it noted.
As the industry prepares for the new season, Sati has prioritised logistics solutions to facilitate an efficient export season.
Extensive engagement with producers, freight forwarders, Transnet and other relevant stakeholders has been a key part of the industry’s preparations.
The organistion’s central message in Madrid will be communicating these season-readiness plans to international stakeholders and providing greater visibility on the measures being put in place to support the reliable movement of grapes to export markets.
During the past few years the industry has been plagued by inefficiencies and delays, mainly in the port of Cape Town.
It is therefore important to use the opportunity to share the latest information with trading partners
Sati outlined that its logistics preparations have developed after recent engagements with transport minister Barbara Creecy and fresh produce stakeholders at the Port of Cape Town.
Commitments tabled by Creecy included a proactive diversion strategy making greater use of the wider port network, and closer collaboration to address operational challenges and improve data visibility.
The development of an effective early-season diversion strategy has been one of the main priorities for the table grape sector.
Sati is engaged with relevant Transnet teams, including those at the Cape Town Container Terminal and the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal, to develop a strategy that leverages the broader national port network and helps alleviate pressure on the Cape Town Container Terminal during the crucial early-season window.
“A resilient port system is not one that never experiences disruption; rather, it can absorb disruption and pivot quickly to recover,” said Sati chief executive Mecia Petersen.
“The strategic opportunity is not only about leveraging the wider port network in response to a crisis. It is about developing a genuinely integrated national port network that provides the industry with greater resilience and predictability.”
In the context of the deciduous fruit season, the Eastern Cape is well positioned to provide complementary scheduled capacity during the early-season export window, Sati confirmed.
Using this capacity as part of a planned approach can help create predictable additional export capacity ahead of the peak season.
