[Press Release] Rain Delays South African Table Grape Packing, Crop Estimate Unchanged

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January 20, 2020 – Packing in South Africa’s Hex River Valley table grape production region has been delayed this week (week 4) owing to summer rain over the past weekend. Producers in the region expect to resume packing toward the end of the week. The rains in the Hex River Valley were not accompanied by the strong winds that lashed the Cape Peninsula over the same weekend.

Fortunately, the potential impact of the rain is limited to only those grapes that were ready for harvest at the time. Most of this region’s early and more sensitive cultivars had already been harvested, keeping in mind that the season started a week earlier. Producers have also placed grapes under plastic for protection.

The bulk of the Hex River crop is composed of mid to late cultivars, which are stronger and in any event still unripe, meaning that rain has little negative impact. In fact, there is even relief in some areas where water availability was a concern. The crop estimate for this region remains unchanged and the outlook is still positive.

Meanwhile, the Berg River region, which received minimal rain, is packing as normal.

The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) will release its bi-weekly industry newsletter as normal later this week, which will contain a full update on intake and export figures, as well as the regular update on all five production regions.

For enquiries, please contact:

Willem Bestbier, CEO of SATI, on +27 (0) 21 863 0366.

Jacques Ferreira, Information and Systems Manager, on +27 (0) 21 863 0366.

Image: South African Table Grape Industry