Fruit Field report February 2018

Vine Fruit:

Limited volumes of vine fruit has been delivered and the quality is good. The crop size is still predicted to be around 55 000 – 60 000 tonnes and the weather has been good thus far.

Although scattered showers have been reported in some regions, it has not had a significant impact on quality.

The hot weather and dry wind will assist producers to dry product in half the period vs previous year. The Orange River has sufficient water and the drought is not causing any issues in this region. The biggest concern is the impact of the drought in Vredendal where all the currants are produced. Initially the view was that the drought may reduce the volumes by 25-35%, but this could be as high as 50%.  Some producers do not have any water for irrigation available, resulting in significant crop losses.

The crop is currently being harvested and we will advise once we have a better view of the available volumes. We will inform you soon on the new crop prices for the vine fruit once we feel confident on crop size/quality.

Tree Fruit:

The apricot crop has been the smallest in many years.
Peaches and pears should be available to service the market and prices have been given.
Mango is also available, but customers have to contract soon to ensure sufficient supply. The fresh product is available, but dryers will be hesitant to dry if product has not been contracted.