Grape exporters urged to explore new markets

A bunch of factors threatens industry growth RAY SMUTS IT has been, by all accounts, a superlative 2005 grape harvest for winemakers in all ten South African producing regions - despite volumes declining by almost 12% over the previous year. But Stuart Symington, CEO of the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum, believes the grape industry requires a measure of self-examination. He points out that the ‘window’ for some grape growers/exporters is a scant five or six weeks a year. But the more successful South African producers, through acquisitions of property in both southern and northern hemisphere countries including Morocco, Egypt, Chile and Brazil, have become specialists in providing product all year round. “The grape industry has procrastinated the inevitable. It continues to keep in the fold those producers and exporters who don’t belong there. “We currently have around 960 exporters of grapes of which perhaps one-third should be diversifying into other sectors, not because they are at fault but due to the nature of the game changing dramatically over the past five or six years. We have seen serious economies of scale and big South African volume players who have the ability to supply product 365 days a year.”