Grape producers in South Africa’s early-growing regions are rushing to meet export orders as the country enters a mourning period for the late President Nelson Mandela.
Growers have reassured international trading partners that, despite the country coming to a standstill during the peak of the harvest, they will not let them down.
But, with the season starting later than expected, the question on growers’ minds is whether they will get enough fruit away to take advantage of the Chinese New Year period in Asia.
Growers and exporters can only ship until the end of week 50 to ensure that their grapes arrive prior to the Chinese New Year period. “We hope to get reasonable volume of Sugraone into the market,” Johan van Niekerk, chairman of grape organisation SATI, told Fruitnet.
Yet shippers are cautious about meeting the Chinese import protocol, which requires cold treatment, and how it will affect the fruit. “The risk of shipping to Europe is much lower than supplying China,” said Samuel Pieterse of exporter Sapex. He says last season growers experienced problems complying with the protocol to China and this may well influence shipping decisions this year.
Nevertheless, growers are expected to ship as many of their early grapes as possible into the region for Chinese New Year.
Pieterse says growers are also doing very well with their black seedless varieties, namely Autumn Royal and Midnight Beauty. For the time being, however, South Africa’s grape shipments to Asia will be dominated by Red Globe, and especially Crimson Seedless.
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