We visited South-Africa beginning of February to have a look at the new crop raisins and currants.
What we have seen is an excellent crop, both in volume and quality.
One of the big advantages of the South-African product is that, due to the climate, less pesticide needs to be used during the growing of the fruit compared to other origins. And with the trend towards more natural and biological products this is really an added value.
In total the 2020 crop South- Africa is estimated at 81.000 m/tons. This is a new record. Add to this a carry over of the 2018 crop of about 20.000 m/tons and we have a more than 100.000 m/ton available for the new season.
Especially the currant crop looks much better compared to last year (4.500 m/tons compared to 1.600 m/tons last year). Also the berry size is with 1.100 – 1.300 berries per 100 gram is back to normal again.
The thompson crop is estimated at 37.000 m/tons which is less than last year. However there is a carry over of about 18.000 m/tons of last year so also here there is more than enough supply.
A variety from South-Africa that gets more and more popular with the buyers (and also the growers) is the flame raisin. The round form, black color and strong flavor makes this product ideal for mixes and coating. For this year we expect a crop of about 6.000 m/tons.
With a volume of 25.000 m/tons this year the golden crop is back to normal again. Quality and color are excellent this year.
The South-African WP sultana can really become an alternative for the Turkish sultana. In color and quality they are better and also this year price wise they are very attractive.
In general we can say that the South-African crop looks excellent. The superior quality combined with this years attractive prices makes them a good alternative for other origins.
If you have any questions and/or enquiries please do not hesitate to contact our sales department.
Published: 29/02/2020
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