The global table grape industry has undergone some of the most significant changes of any fruit commodity over recent years, and the worldwide panorama continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace.

There is a growing demand for grapes in Asia, the Middle East and Russia. As a result, volumes on the European market are limited this year. This is even causing some shortages on the market.

Within the citrus and table grape industries, the number of hectares under production has seen tremendous growth over the last couple of years, according to the BFAP Baseline Agricultural Outlook for the period 2019 to 2028.

A recent visit to Japan for the annual Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which was joined by the Citrus Growers’ Association at the behest of President Cyril Ramaphosa, provided the association with a salient opportunity to address some nagging aspects of fruit trade with that country, as well as to press the fruit industry’s interests.

The crop from the Orange River region is lighter on early cultivars. Grape weight is slightly lower than originally thought, but size certainly looks better than last year, to the relief of grape growers. 

The Egyptian and European table grape seasons have got off to a good start on the European market.