South African table grape crop forecast at 79.4 million cartons

The South African table grape industry has released its first crop estimate for the 2025/26 season, projecting a harvest of 79.4 million cartons. The estimate sets a lower limit of 77.0 million cartons and an upper limit of 81.7 million cartons.

Expected export volumes are up by 0.6% compared with the 2024/25 season and 6.6% higher than the five-year average.

Alwyn Dippenaar, chairperson of the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI), noted that "good winter conditions prevailed, with sufficient chill units to support even budbreak and adequate winter rainfall to increase dam levels favourably, which bodes well for water availability in a normal season."

Regional performance varies against the five-year average. The Northern Provinces and Olifants River regions are expected to deliver lower volumes, reflecting planted area reductions of 14% and 5%, respectively. The Berg River region is forecast to remain close to its five-year average, while planted areas in the Orange River and Hex River regions are largely unchanged.

National table grape plantings are reported at 19,400 hectares in 2025, a 0.4% decline from 2024 and around 3% below the five-year average. However, higher yields from recently established plantings of new varieties are supporting overall volume growth.

According to SATI chief executive Mecia Petersen, "South Africa is well placed to provide a consistent, quality crop that meets global consumer preferences to all markets."

The sector continues to use SATI's Prescriptive Logistics Model, which applies value-chain data to forecast market routes and regional scenarios to guide farm-level planning.

The industry cautions that the first estimate represents a deduction based on available factors and may be revised as the season progresses.