TGC Seasonal Update | Week 44 | 2023

Going in to Week 44 the Orange River region are busy with crop load and sizing sprays, where in the Western Cape region, varieties are in bloom.

Weather conditions also played along with moderate temperatures not reaching extremes, favorable for vine growth and fruit development.

Namibia The first volumes of the season in Namibia will be packed in Week 46. Early Sweet and Prime varieties will be packed first, followed by Flame Seedless and Arra 29 in subsequent weeks.

Compared to the previous season, the Prime is expected to have better size and similar volume tendencies expected from the early varieties.

High day temperatures were experienced in Namibia during this week, with more warm weather expected for the upcoming week. Cooler night temperatures are beneficial for the coloring of colored grape varieties.

Orange River

Prime looks promising and will be harvested in the start of Week 47, followed by Flame Seedless and Sable Seedless. The timing of the harvest in the Onseepkans and Augrabies area is expected to be similar to the previous season.

Early white seedless grapes are expected to have better uniformity of bunches and berries compared to the previous season. Mid-season varieties such as Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe had a good fruit-set, and the bunch counts are looking promising.

Western Cape

Varieties in this region are currently in bloom. Early varieties such as Sable seedless and Midnight Beauty has mostly finished the bloom phase and are now moving on to sizing sprays.

Weather conditions during the bloom phase have been favorable, with the development of vines and fruit not being stressed by high temperatures.

Mid-season varieties like Sweet Globe and Sweet Celebration are looking promising, showing good fertility and bunch counts. The cooler weather expected to continue until Week 45 can have a favorable influence on the fruit-set phase, promoting healthy development.

In the Hex River region, the earliest Crimson Seedless orchards has started with the bloom phase with adequate bunch counts.

Harvest

We are eagerly anticipating the harvest of the first grapes from SA, which are expected to be harvested in Week 47.

Please reach out to us if any additional information is required!