By Week 52, packing was underway in all five South African table grape production regions. A total of 22 million cartons (4.5 kg equivalents) had been inspected for export, up 21 per cent compared with the same period last season. Exported volumes reached 11.4 million cartons by Week 52, down 5 per cent year on year. Including a further 1.24 million cartons shipped in Week 01, total volumes shipped to date stand at around 12.73 million cartons.
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Packing activity is currently taking place in the Northern Provinces, Orange River, Olifants River, Berg River, and Hex River regions. Initial regional crop estimates remain unchanged, keeping the national estimate at 79.4 million cartons inspected for export. Prime, Grapes (Early Sweet®), and Sugrathirteen (Midnight Beauty®) were the leading export varieties in Week 52. The EU, UK, and the Middle East were the main destinations.
Exports through the Port of Cape Town continue to face disruption due to persistent wind delays. During November and December, wind-related stoppages exceeded last year's levels, constraining terminal operations in the early export window. Although some recovery was seen in late December, productivity at the Cape Town Container Terminal remains below target.
National volumes and update
National inspections reached 22 million cartons by Week 52, compared with 18.22 million cartons at the same time last season. The leading packed varieties in Week 52 were Sweet Globe™, Sweet Celebration™, and Timpson™. The gap between inspected and exported volumes is mainly explained by 2.14 million cartons in cold storage and 1.24 million cartons loaded on vessels sailing in Week 01.
Regional overview
The Northern Provinces had packed 3.93 million cartons by Week 52, with volumes 21 per cent higher year on year. The Orange River region packed 16.95 million cartons, up 23 per cent, with packing expected to continue into Week 03. The Olifants River region packed 487,175 cartons, down 19 per cent, while maintaining initial estimates. The Berg River region recorded 447,401 cartons, 30 per cent higher than last year, following earlier-than-expected ripening.
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Southern Hemisphere context
Namibia packed 9.4 million cartons, up 12 per cent, although exports were down 15 per cent. Chile exported 1.31 million cartons by Week 52, 14 per cent lower year on year, with the revised crop estimate at 115.9 million cartons. Peru exported 84.47 million cartons by Week 51, up 7 per cent, with a crop estimate of 156 million cartons for 2025-26.
Logistics update
Wind delays at the Port of Cape Town remained elevated, with November and December recording substantially more delay hours than last year. Despite some improvement in crane deployment during Week 52, productivity remains below target. Over the next four to six weeks, an estimated 11,500 containers are expected to be inspected for export, placing additional pressure on logistics.
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© SATIFor more information:
Conrad Burger
SATI
Tel: +27 (0) 21 863 0366
Email: [email protected]
www.satgi.co.za
