Home

South Africa’s table grape harvest expected to fall by 15% in 2023

Reading Time: < 1 minute

South Africa’s table grape harvest is expected to decrease by a substantial 15 % this year. The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) says this is due to bad weather conditions.

The Lower Orange River region which is one of the biggest producers in the country is set to decrease by more than 8%.

Late last year, flooding in the area saw large parts of vineyards underwater.

Gabriel Viljoen, who exports his grapes to the United Kingdom, says “That’s a big gap, it is due to the heat fluctuations we had in October and November. And according to the specs we did on the farm itself, the berries didn’t have actual weight. Last year an 18-millimeter berry weight between 6 and 6.2 grams per berry. This season it varies from 4-point-5 to 4-point-8 grams per berry. So you are down 1.5 grams per berry per bunch. So it doesn’t have the determining factor of the weight.”

VIDEO: Heavy rains in Western Cape bring about relief for grape farmers 

Author

MOST READ
RELATED STORIES