Freshgold SA growers are having a bumper crop of grapes this year. “For the first time, we are expecting volumes of over 60 million cartons to be exported from South Africa,” explains Basjan Bruwer. “The good climatic conditions are giving us good quality and excellent growth potential.” The first ship left to Europe on 03/11, with the second following a few days later.
The Red Globe and Dan ben Hannah varieties will be harvested from week 50 in Namibia, along with Sugarone and Thompsons. The Northern Cape and Limpopo will begin a week later with all cultivars. Bruwer advised that, “The Western cape can be divided into an early area i.e Olifantsriver, that has already started to pack, and a late area i.e Bergriver and Hexriver, that will start packing operations in the next two weeks.”
Bruwer mentioned that there has been some hail in the Limpopo province. This has not greatly affected the vineyards, however, there was some damage done to the citrus and mango orchards.
In the past few years, Freshgold growers have replaced all “old world” cultivars with new seedless varieties according to the current market demands. These are Sweet Celebration, Timco, Magenta, Sugra and Arra cultivars, to name a few. Bruwer says “Expansions on existing farms with the white and red seedless varieties will have an effect on the harvest of 2016/2017.”
