South Africa commences table grape harvest season

Currently, it is the grape harvesting and export season in the Southern Hemisphere. The estimated table grape production for the 2023/24 season in South Africa is 73 million cartons (4.5-kilogram equivalent), approximately 329,000 metric tons, representing a 12% increase compared to the 2022/23 season. According to a newsletter released by the South African Table Grape Industry, 6.1 million cartons or around 27,500 metric tons of table grapes had undergone export inspection as of week 48, marking a 20% decrease from the previous season due to a delayed start in the current season. The top three varieties for export include Prime Seedless, Early Sweet and Tawny Seedless. In Peru, another crucial table grape supplier in the Southern Hemisphere, table grape production for the 2023/24 season is anticipated to reach 1.18 billion cartons, comprising 61% white seedless grapes, 27% red seedless grapes and 5% black seedless grapes. As of week 48, 57 million cartons were packaged. Chile’s ...