Officially, the South African table grape forecast issued in December remains in place, but the latest information points to a continuation of what is regarded as a difficult season with reduced crops.
In December the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) predicted that the crop may vary between 55.4 and 60.3 million cartons, compared with last year’s 67.5m. As the industry returns to normal after the Christmas season, and with the early Orange River region heading towards the end of its harvesting, there are strong indications that even the December figure could be optimistic.
The pre-season predictions in the Orange River simply did not materialise. “The grapes just did not achieve the weights we had last year. By week 52 the Orange River had packed about 13.5 m cartons, which was around three million less than at the same time last year,” one source says.
By all accounts the Olifants River region is also experiencing difficulties because of a lack of irrigation water due to the drought in the Cape region. The Berg River region and the Hex River Valley are at the start of the harvest and it is too early to predict the outcome. “We may not quite have last year’s crop, but we have enough grapes to service all our customers,” says In2Fruit’s Sarel Joubert. “The positive side is that we have a firm market and this will help us.”
South African sources say that South Africa is not the only country having difficult conditions this year. “Competing countries are also down and this is affecting the availability of all fruit in the UK and Europe,” one points out.
The Western Cape regions are suffering because of an unprecedented drought. The table grape growers, and other fruit growers, have to compete with the demand for water from the urban areas. In the Hex River there are concerns that irrigation will run out, particularly in the northern part of the Valley, where growers rely heavily on borehole water. That is why the outlook will remain somewhat unstable until the end of the season, and beyond, if sufficient rain does not fall during the autumn and winter.
Despite all the pressure, there are a number of milestones which will be celebrated this year. The first export of grapes to the UK took place exactly 125 years ago, and one of South Africa’s best-known grape-growing families, the Karsten Group, celebrates 50 years in farming.
The Karsten Group is now one of the leading grape exporters in the world and has extended its base from the Orange River to the Cape, where it now grows grapes into the late season as well. With its logistics and international structure, the Karsten Group manages its fruit along the entire chain from the farm to the depots of suppliers, delivering and meeting the individual requirements of its customers.
To crown it all, a new, locally-bred red seedless grape, named Joybells, will be launched at Fruit Logistica.
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