Challenges plague good table grape harvest prospects

The local table grape industry is back on a growth curve after the drought and the industry is optimistic about the coming season. However, there are many challenges that dampen the prospects of a good harvest.

According to Francois Rossouw, managing director at Mooigezicht Estates near De Doorns, the harvest was promising, but it had been a challenging season.

“Last year, we packed 62 million cartons and this year’s estimate is about 70 million cartons.”

He also said that while the new national minimum wage had been expected, the implementation thereof would still affect agriculture. The bill was signed into law on 23 November.

“In areas facing a desperate drought situation, such as the Southern Cape and Beaufort West regions, the new minimum wage will definitely not ease the problem of unemployment.”

He added that this would require farmers to pay more attention to productivity and the training of their workers to ensure that they acquired the necessary skills. He added that South America, especially Peru, had had a very good table grape season, and that the early table grape market would definitely be more saturated than normal. He said the US-China trade war would also have an impact on exports from that country. “Due to the tariff war, many US grapes will go to the domestic market, which prevents South American [producers] from exporting to North America. This will [result in] grapes from South America being exported to South Africa’s traditional markets, the EU and the UK.” – Jeandré van der Walt

fw archive LEFT: Despite promising harvest prospects, table grape farmers are expected to face many challenges in the coming season.