What wine industry can do to keep its fizz amid rising threats
The sector is stuck between a weak position in global markets and a rising climate regime hindering market access
While the Covid-19 crisis has delivered an unprecedented blow to the local wine industry, the sector faces a further existential threat: it is stuck between a weak position in global markets and a strengthening global climate regime, which is hindering its market access.
The economic fallout linked to the pandemic response has been well documented, with the industry losing about R500m a week during the initial six-week alcohol ban, which also prevented exports. The current prohibition will further jeopardise the survival of the sector, of which about 80% is characterised by small and medium-sized companies that rely heavily on domestic consumption and are unable to survive on exports alone. This in a sector that accounts for 1.2% of the country’s economy and employs, directly and indirectly, about 300,000 people, predominantly in the Western Cape...
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