South African grape exports are progressing well ahead of last season, but the total crop is forecast to be smaller.
At the end of week 48 South African grape exporters had shipped more than 400 per cent more grapes than the same time last year. It is thought this is due to the fact that the season is two weeks earlier and the total crop is 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 season where demand and prices have in the past been better than during the post Christmas period.
At the end of week 48 4.7 million cartons had been shipped compared with 1.2m cartons at the end of the same week last year. At the end of the same week 6.2m cartons had been packed compared with last year’s 3.2m cartons.
The South African Table Grape Industry warned that this does not indicate a higher 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,” said the company.
According to the latest information the Orange River Prime crop is now 95 per cent finished and has been 25 per cent, approximately one million cartons, down on the 2009 figures.
It is expected that the total Orange River crop will be 15 per cent or 2.5m cartons down on expectations. This will mean that between 13.5m and 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 compared with earlier expectations.
Up to week 48 total shipments to the UK was almost three times higher than the same time last year, while 27m cartons have been shipped to Northern Europe compared with 527,000 cartons the same time last year.
