Positive Start to the 2025/26 South African Table Grape Season
The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) expects volumes inspected for export to reach 79.4 million cartons (4.5 kg equivalent), according to its first crop estimate for the season. This represents a 0.6% increase compared with the 2024/25 actual export volume of 78.9 million cartons, reflecting a stable outlook across production regions.
“The early signs are encouraging,” says SATI CEO, Mecia Petersen. “Growing conditions have been favourable in the months leading up to the export season, and at this stage we expect the 2025/26 harvest to deliver good fruit quality and sufficient volumes to meet demand in our export markets.”
SATI is positive that recent improvements at the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) will continue to support improvements in port performance during the peak deciduous fruit export period. Over the past year, Transnet has invested in new equipment at the CTCT as part of its turnaround strategy to improve efficiency at the country’s ports. It is expected that by the end of November, 18 new RTGs will be deployed at CTCT, which will be supplemented by some of the existing equipment.
The new equipment and other initiatives, driven by improved Transnet-private sector collaboration, aim to enhance productivity and streamline operations at the terminal.
“These measures help to strengthen confidence in the reliability of our logistics network,” Petersen says. “Efficient supply chain logistics is essential to ensuring that South Africa remains a trusted global supplier of quality table grapes.”
SATI continues to partner with Transnova Africa to expand its award-winning Prescriptive Logistics Model, which enables growers and exporters to make data-driven decisions about the most efficient route to market. Model scenarios can also help inform planning at the port of Cape Town.
Building on the initiative’s success, SATI and Transnova Africa are collaborating with Transnet and the Western Cape Government to enhance data sharing and real-time logistics coordination, and have invited other commodities to participate in a free-of-charge Proof of Concept, with the aim of onboarding more fruit types to provide a more holistic value chain view.
This season marks an important milestone as South Africa prepares to export table grapes to the Philippines for the first time, following new market access secured earlier this year. The first shipments are expected later this season and will be supported by a targeted market development campaign to introduce South African grapes to the Philippines market.
In North America, SATI will run a market development campaign in both Canada and the USA, with support from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. Despite the tariffs currently affecting exports to the USA, the industry remains committed to maintaining a presence in the market and is optimistic about long-term growth opportunities in the region.
“Our growers, exporters, and partners continue to demonstrate resilience and collaboration,” Petersen says. “The industry is dedicated to upholding South Africa’s reputation as a reliable supplier of consistent quality grapes to markets around the world.”
ISSUED BY SATI
Enquiries:
SATI
Denene Erasmus
Market Development and Communications Manager
denene@satgi.co.za
+2721 863 0366
About SATI
SATI is the unified South African Table Grape Industry Association. All table grape producers are required to register with SATI, which is mandated by law as the industry’s official levy administrator. The levy is required to fund and facilitate market access and development, research and technology, information provision, transformation, and training. SATI is dedicated to operating a partnership that strives to maintain South Africa’s position as the preferred country of origin for retailers around the world. Contact: info@satgi.co.za