South African raisin sector grows despite weather hit

South African raisin suppliers are targeting a high-volume, quality export crop despite production being impacted by unseasonal weather.

Drying conditions for raisins in the Lower Orange River region of South Africa were hit by unusually high rainfall and humidity in week 10 of 2025, with some crops lost due to weaker drying ratios, lower sugar content and a higher percentage of no-value product.

Despite that, thanks to an excellent pre-harvest season, crop development is only delayed by around two weeks and suppliers are still expecting a marketable crop in the region of 96,000-104,000 tonnes. Approximately 46 per cent of this season’s crop has already been delivered to packers and exporters.

With the industry producing a final total of 96,000t in 2023/24, it is highly likely that even with the weather challenges, 2024/25 will produce another crop above 90,000t.

The continued growth of the sector is thanks primarily to the establishment of around 2,535ha of new land for raisin production across both the Orange River and Olifants River regions between 2020 and 2022. Those vines are now in full production, which has added an extra 17,000t of raisins to the overall industry yield.

As South Africa continues to cement its place as a leading player on the global export market, it is looking to underline its unique selling points to buyers and consumers. Those include the fact that it features naturally sun-dried product with no-to-low pesticide residues, distinct colour and flavour and 12-month shelf life, all produced with social and environmental sustainability in mind.

“We want the market and consumers to think of South Africa as a reliable, sustainable source of superior-quality raisins,” said Wessel Lemmer, chief executive of industry body Raisins SA.

The UK and Europe are once again set to be the leading destinations for South African raisins. Europe is the largest market, and received 52 per cent of the country’s export crop in 2024, with the 40,814t sold outperforming the 2020-24 average of 33,793t.

The UK received 12 per cent of exports, and bought 9,326t last year, up from the four-year average of 6,137t.