By the end of week 48, South African table grape exporters had shipped over 400 per cent more product than the same time last year. This is, however, entirely due to the fact that the season is two weeks earlier, with the total crop expected to be down on last year.
The earlier season means that South African growers and exporters will land bigger volumes in the market during the pre-Christmas period, where demand and prices have in the past been better than post-Christmas.
At the end of week 48, 4.7m cartons had been shipped compared with 1.17m cartons at the end of the same week of 2009. At the end of the same week, a total of 6.2m cartons had been packed compared with last year's 3.2m cartons.
The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) warned that these figures do not mean a higher overall export crop. 'It is extremely important to note that although year-to-date shipments look higher than comparative data of the previous season, it is only because of the 2010/2011 season being two weeks earlier,' the organisation said.
According to the latest information, the Orange River Prime crop is now 95 per cent finished and has been 25 per cent, or approximately 1m cartons, down on 2009 figures.
It is expected that the total Orange River crop will be 15 per cent or 2.5m cartons down on initial expectations, meaning that between 13.5m-14m cartons will be packed in the region provided good weather conditions continue.
In the Northern Province, early varieties are also down by 10 per cent when compared with earlier expectations.
Up to week 48, total shipments to the UK were almost three times higher than the same time last year, while 2.7m cartons have been shipped to northern Europe compared with 527,000 cartons the same time last year. The Middle East will also receive higher volumes much earlier, as will as what SATI refers to as 'other markets'.
