Latest SATI crop estimate shows significant volume decreases in South Africa's early grape production regions

South Africa’s second table grape harvest estimate anticipates that the total harvest will be 15% lower than last year, with significant reductions in the early production regions

On the 20th of December SATI (South African Table Grape industry) released their second harvest estimate. this anticipates that the harvest to be around 8% lower than the original estimate.  The original pre-harvest estimate was for 71.7 million 4.5-kilogram equivalent cartons, and the revised crop estimate has reduced the estimate to 66 million cartons. Based on the new estimate, the overall harvest volumes are expected to be approximately 15% lower than the 2021/2022 harvest.

The new estimate has shown that productions are down most significantly in the early production regions.  In the Northern Regions, the new crop estimate is expected to be around 5.1 million cartons, approximately 30% lower than the final figures for last year. The new estimate for the Orange River region is around 16 million cartons, which is around 28% less than last year. In the Olifants River Region, the new estimate is around 3 million cartons, roughly 15% less than last year.

In the Berg River and Hex River regions, the second estimate’s downward adjustment has been less significant and the combined adjustment between these regions represents a 2% decrease on the initial crop estimate. The next crop estimate is planned for mid-January 2023.