The South African table grape export season continues to perform strongly, with shipped volumes already surpassing 67.8 million cartons (equivalent to 4.5 kg).
According to the latest report from the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI), 76 million cartons were inspected for export up to week 8, representing a six percent increase compared to the 71.73 million cartons recorded in the same period of the previous season.
Of the total inspected, 63.44 million cartons were exported through week 8, a four percent increase compared to the volumes sent by the same date last year. An additional 3.6 million cartons were loaded during week 9, bringing the total volume dispatched so far to over 67.82 million cartons.
The harvest estimate remains unchanged at 79.4 million cartons inspected for export, representing 90 percent completion against SATI’s season forecast and confirming a consistent advance in the South African table grape season.
The main destinations for table grape exports up to week 8 have been the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada—markets that continue to concentrate the majority of the industry's shipments.
In varietal terms, the three most exported varieties in week 8 were Sugrathirtyfive (sold under the brand Autumncrisp) with 2.08 million cartons; Crimson Seedless with 1.24 million cartons, and Sugranineteen (sold under the label Scarlotta Seedless) with 720,632 cartons.
These same varieties also led the volume packed during the week. Crimson Seedless topped the ranking with 1.42 million cartons, followed by Autumncrisp with 815,170 cartons and Scarlotta Seedless with 648,758 cartons.
SATI explains that the gap between volumes inspected and exported through week 8 is mainly due to 1.5 million cartons stored in cold rooms and 3.6 million cartons loaded onto vessels that sailed in week 9.
The Olifants River, Berg River, and Hex River regions are currently packing fruit.
Up until week 8, the Olifants River region had packed 4.1 million cartons, a four percent drop from the same period last year. The production area has already exceeded its harvest estimate by 12 percent, so the season is practically finished.
Meanwhile, the Berg River has recorded 19.5 million packed cartons, representing an eight percent increase over last year. The figure already matches the region’s initial production estimate, but producers expect to continue packing operations up to week 10.
In Hex River, 19.9 million cartons have been packed, representing a two percent increase from last season and approximately 78 percent of the season’s initial volume projections. According to SATI, the campaign is progressing with favorable sanitary conditions for the fruit, and some producers anticipate finishing packing toward the end of week 9.
In terms of logistics, the performance of the Cape Town Container Terminal remained at 14 crane movements per hour (GCH) during week 8, similar to the previous two weeks, although still below the terminal's target of 19 GCH.
With the goal of improving operational efficiency, the Port of Cape Town will gradually incorporate the last 10 RTGs of a total of 28 new units during March, while five of these units will begin endurance testing starting in week 10.
*All images are referential.
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