Forecasts have been revised downwards with Raisins SA now expecting a marketable yield of 84,360 tonnes
The South African raisin crop is set to be down nearly 20 per cent on initial forecasts after widespread rainfall hit key production areas.
Industry body Raisins SA initially estimated a total production of 104,000 tonnes, and the season began on a strong note with an excellent early yield.
However, rainfall hit a number of regions in February, and further extensive rain in late March caused crop losses in the eastern production areas upstream of Kakamas in the Northern Cape.
As a result, packers have revised their forecasts downwards and are now expecting a marketable yield of 84,360 tonnes.
The decline is due to a large increase in the volume of product that either has no value or will go to industrial uses as a result of delayed drying and moisture-related issues.
Raisins SA noted that as of mid-April, there were still raisins currently stored on farms that needed to be graded, with the final marketable yield subject to change.
Peter Kuilman, chief executive of RedSun Raisins, said the situation has caused difficulty for producers along the Orange River, where the rainfall has concentrated.
“Everything was perfect until a few weeks ago, and then the rain started,” he explained. “Around 66 per cent of the crop had been delivered and was in our warehouse, looking beautiful and with the correct moisture content.
”But the crop that was lying on the drying facilities wouldn’t get dry, and every day as it started to dry another short, sharp shower in the evening would send it back to square one.
“So it wasn’t detracting from the quality but they couldn’t take the product off the drying facility,” Kuilman noted.
“Meanwhile, there are grapes that are still on the vines that should have been harvested, but they’ve got too ripe so we can’t use them anymore.
”We are probably going to lose 15 per cent of the crop in that region,” he outlined.
Kuilman stressed that RedSun still expects to reach the tonnage it needs to meet customer orders as the crops produced in Vredendal in the Olifants River region and Namibia have been unaffected.
It will, however, take longer to achieve the target.
The situation is a setback for the South African industry, which has been on a consistent upward curve and had been looking forward to record exports this season.
Despite that, with producers across the country continuing to invest in expanding their crop, Raisins SA still expects to hit its target of 150,000 tonnes of production in the coming years.
Raisins SA said the industry remains dedicated to maintaining its status as a reliable supplier of excellent-quality raisins.
