South African Grape Prices Continue to Drop In Domestic Market

South African domestic market prices for grapes continue to drop. In W46, the average price for Size L Class 1 grapes on the domestic municipal markets in Cape Town and Johannesburg was USD 4.65/kg (R80). In W49, in Cape Town, grapes are sold at USD 1.74/kg (R30) while in Johannesburg they go for USD 1.03/kg (R17.74). This is due to the increase in supply volume to the domestic markets and the availability of alternatives such as stone fruits and cherries.

The quality of grapes on the upper end are closer to USD 1.74/kg (R30) which is acceptable with good eating quality. On the lower end, the grapes lack flavour and shelf-life. There is stiff competition regarding good quality and pricing from cherries at USD 6.40/kg (R110), melons at USD 0.76/kg (R13) and stone fruit at USD 1.74/kg (R30) on the domestic markets. The next few weeks will be a challenge for South African grapes in the domestic market due to availability of alternatives at competitive prices.