The South Africa Table Grape Industry Association (SATI) has wrapped up the 2021-22 harvest season, posing intake levels of 77.6 million boxes, 3.6 percent ahead of levels at the same week last year.
In a statement, SATI confirmed that all the country’s growing regions have completed packing. Exports can still continue but the association gave an update on how the volumes stack up to last year’s shipments. Orange River ranked as the largest producer for this year’s yield, growing over 20 percent and producing 22.3 million 4.5kg boxes of table grapes.
The most notable change is a decrease of 30 percent in shipments to Russia, due to the ongoing conflict in the region. The most noticeable increase was found in shipments to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which as of week 18 were 17 percent and 2.3 percent higher than last year.
Shipments to the EU top the list with 35.27 million boxes shipped, a 5.8 percent decrease on the 2020-21 season. The UK market, its second biggest receiver, fell 4.6 percent to just over 15 million boxes, as of week 18.
The association thanked growers which have “worked relentlessly this season to battle unforeseen odds”, and produced a high quality yield.
The organization remains “deeply concerned about the financial state of our industry given the multitude of challenges faced during the season as well as the economic impact of these on our industry.”
