The 2024 blueberry season from Southern Africa have been going well with a focus on quality. South Africa's 2024/25 table grape season excites them says Kobus du Plessis, commercial director of the exporter Angon Fruit, "Generally the Southern Africa blueberry season went well so far. The harvest in Peru was delayed, which offered a good market for Southern Africa up to the end of October after which markets stabilised in November and December."
Du Plessis says the early season started well from Zimbabwe and South Africa. "The early season prices were strong, with good returns due to the shortage and fact that Peru was late. South Africa reached the peak of its harvest in week 44 at the end of October. Prices stabilised in November on similar levels to the 2023 season while in August to October it was 15-20% higher year-on-year. This was due to Peru's peak volume arrivals in the market that shifted towards November and December."
Angon Fruit's earliest supply is from Zimbabwe says du Plessis, "as a country they offer very good quality blueberries which Angon export to Asia. South African supply started from week 34, first from the North in areas like Lydenburg, and Groblersdal. Then on to Pietermaritzburg and the Langkloof, thereafter supply came from the Western Cape, areas of Wolseley, Wellington, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Worcester and Slanghoek. So far quality has been good, with most growers reaching harvest volume estimates and some growers reporting yields 10% below their estimates, overall good quality in general on arrival in the markets."
Blueberry market focus
"Our market focus for blueberries is mainly on the UK, Europe, and Southeast Asia with Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Cambodia key markets that we reach in that region. We have a strong focus on UK and European retail, with a split between markets of 70% to the UK, Europe and 30% to the East," states du Plessis.
Looking forward to South Africa hosting the IBO 2025 Summit
Angon Fruit are looking forward to the International Blueberry Organisation (IBO) 2025 Summit taking place in Cape Town, South Africa later in 2025. "It is exciting for the industry in Southern Africa, especially for South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia that shows good potential for growth. The awarding of the conference testifies to the opportunity and growth of blueberries in Southern Africa. We look forward to meeting producers, buyers and industry experts from various supply regions and markets globally," says du Plessis.
Excited about South Africa's 2024/25 table grape season
Angon Fruit is a producer exporter in Paarl, being 4th generation table grape growers. "We're excited by the table grape season ahead. I don't think it's a bumper crop year. Our producers based in Trawal, the Berg and Hex River growing areas all expect an average or normal yield. At this stage the fruit looks healthy, while it points to good berry size and a favourable market. We are eager to see what the berry weight and pack outs will be. Overall, the South African grape quality in the early growing areas of the Orange River and Groblersdal has been good so far. The season is about a week late, across the board," exclaims du Plessis.
Angon's market focus for table grapes slightly differs from blueberries, while they serve many of the same clients. "We mainly focus on the UK, Europe, Asia, Israel and USA, with an estimated 40% supplied to UK retail, 30% to European retail and wholesale focusing on the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Spain as well as Eastern Europe. We find that both sales channels in Europe ad good value. We have a renewed focus on U.S. retail which is becoming more important for us to diversify our market focus. The U.S. had an early finish to their season, showing a renewed interest in product from South Africa," states du Plessis.
They have a keen focus on Israel and Asian markets including Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan. "Our market distribution is 40% UK, 30% Europe, 15% Asia, 15% to Israel and the U.S. with Canada being an interesting market which we look to develop," concludes du Plessis.
For more information:
Kobus du Plessis
Angon Fruit
Tel: +27 21 872 7021
[email protected]
www.angon.co.za