SATI STATISTICS OF TABLE GRAPES IN SOUTH AFRICA 2025

NATIONAL INFORMATION

OVERVIEW 2024/2025 PRODUCTION OVERVIEW *All cartons expressed as 4.5 kg equivalent.

The 2024/25 season marked a milestone for South Africa’s table grape industry with export volumes at 78.2 million 4.5 kg cartons (78.9 million cartons inspected) reaching the highest recorded volume to date. SATI remained focused on addressing logistical and trade matters through collaborative efforts with industry stakeholders. South African grapes continued to enjoy favourable demand in global markets, underscoring the industry’s commitment to quality and reliability. The EU and UK received 58% and 18% of exports, respectively, and the industry remains dedicated to retaining these markets. Other key markets demonstrated growth, with exports to Canada and the USA observing 7% and 20% growth respectively compared to the average for the last five seasons. Exports to the Middle East increased by 26% over the past year while exports to China and Hong Kong decreased by about 50%. Another notable achievement this season was South Africa securing market access for table grape exports to the Philippines. This development is the result of a long-standing collaboration between the government and the industry. South Africa now has access to 17 of the world’s top 18 table grape importing countries. SATI’s latest vine census reveals a stabilisation in total table grape hectares planted. While there was a slight decrease of 0.4% from 2024, bringing the total to 19,401 hectares in 2025, this figure represents a stabilisation at just 3% below the five-year average. The top five varieties still account for half (50%) of the total hectares planted, namely: Crimson Seedless (15%), Sweetglobe™️ (9%), Autumncrisp ® (9%), Sweet Celebration™️ (9%), & Prime (8%). Hectares of licensed varieties continue to grow, and there was a further decrease in unlicensed varieties such as Crimson Seedless (-2%) and Thompson Seedless (-23%). SEASON OVERVIEW The 2024/25 season was favourable overall with no major weather disruptions and smoother port operations. Overall, table grape growing regions experienced favourable weather conditions which facilitated the market receiving sufficient volumes of quality grapes. The only region that experienced some challenges due to rain in their early season was the Northern Provinces, but with minor impact on national volumes. Apart from the Northern Provinces region that packed 4.8 million cartons, which is 20% less than the previous season, the other four production regions all showed increased year-on-year (YoY) packing volumes for the 2024/25 season. The Hex River and Orange River regions packed their highest volumes to date with 25.3 million cartons (+9% YoY) and 25 million cartons (+3% YoY) respectively. The Berg River region packed 19.5 million (+5% YoY) and the Olifants River region packed 4.4 million cartons (+11% YoY). Table-grape exports increased by 5% compared to last season (78.2 million cartons in 2024/25 vs. 74.1 million prior). The volume of exports that went through the Cape Town Container Terminal and Cape Town Multi-Purpose Terminal combined, increased from 82% (10% conventional) of total exports in 2023/24 to 90% (7% conventional) in 2024/25. Logistical challenges eased somewhat compared to prior seasons, as Transnet, industry and other stakeholders collaborated to address inefficiencies at the Port of Cape Town. Overall, the stock build-up position at the Cape Town Container Terminal, through which the bulk of SA’s table-grape exports are shipped, was lower and peaked for a shorter period

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SATI STATISTICS 2025