PODCAST: Wine grape forecast part of a significant recovery for agriculture
With the quantity of wine grapes up 11%, their high quality is even more pleasing
12 May 2025 - 18:07
byWANDILE SIHLOBO
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We have been saying for some time that 2025 will be a recovery year for SA agriculture, mainly highlighting the gains in grains, soybeans and horticulture yields.
But I was particularly pleased last week when I received a report from SA Wine indicating that we will have an excellent harvest in 2025.
SA Wine and Vinpro forecast the wine grape harvest to be 1.244-million tonnes, an 11% recovery from the exceptionally poor harvest in 2024. Importantly, the quality promises to be excellent.
With a harvest like this, our preoccupation for the coming months will be export markets and logistics.
The US market has dominated the trade conversation in recent weeks. However, long before the Trump tariffs, the SA wine industry and the entire agricultural sector had been focused on expanding export markets beyond the existing ones.
SA’s agricultural sector is export-orientated, with exports reaching a record $13.7bn in 2024, up 3% from the previous year, according to data from Trade Map. This reflects both an increase in the volume of agricultural exports and higher prices of some products.
Top export products by value include citrus, grapes, maize, apples and pears, wine, nuts, fruit juices, sugar, berries, dates, pineapples, avocados, wool, apricots and peaches, ciders and beef.
The focus on broadening export markets becomes even more urgent as we continue to see better quality and volumes in wine and other agricultural product output.
One of the primary areas we focus on is China, which has a large population and buying power. China accounts for 11% of global agricultural imports.
However, the South African agricultural sector, specifically the wine industry, faces some constraints. For example, we face tariffs of 14% on wine exports to China, while our competitors, such as Australia, face 0% duties as they have trade agreements in place.
We have been vocal about such issues for some time. Now it is even more urgent and appropriate to open these new markets as China looks to increase its agricultural trade with SA.
Listen to the podcast for more insights.
Richard Humphries, Sam Mkokeli, Nelisiwe Tshabalala and Amanda Murimba produce this podcast
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
PODCAST: Wine grape forecast part of a significant recovery for agriculture
With the quantity of wine grapes up 11%, their high quality is even more pleasing
We have been saying for some time that 2025 will be a recovery year for SA agriculture, mainly highlighting the gains in grains, soybeans and horticulture yields.
But I was particularly pleased last week when I received a report from SA Wine indicating that we will have an excellent harvest in 2025.
SA Wine and Vinpro forecast the wine grape harvest to be 1.244-million tonnes, an 11% recovery from the exceptionally poor harvest in 2024. Importantly, the quality promises to be excellent.
With a harvest like this, our preoccupation for the coming months will be export markets and logistics.
The US market has dominated the trade conversation in recent weeks. However, long before the Trump tariffs, the SA wine industry and the entire agricultural sector had been focused on expanding export markets beyond the existing ones.
SA’s agricultural sector is export-orientated, with exports reaching a record $13.7bn in 2024, up 3% from the previous year, according to data from Trade Map. This reflects both an increase in the volume of agricultural exports and higher prices of some products.
Top export products by value include citrus, grapes, maize, apples and pears, wine, nuts, fruit juices, sugar, berries, dates, pineapples, avocados, wool, apricots and peaches, ciders and beef.
The focus on broadening export markets becomes even more urgent as we continue to see better quality and volumes in wine and other agricultural product output.
One of the primary areas we focus on is China, which has a large population and buying power. China accounts for 11% of global agricultural imports.
However, the South African agricultural sector, specifically the wine industry, faces some constraints. For example, we face tariffs of 14% on wine exports to China, while our competitors, such as Australia, face 0% duties as they have trade agreements in place.
We have been vocal about such issues for some time. Now it is even more urgent and appropriate to open these new markets as China looks to increase its agricultural trade with SA.
Listen to the podcast for more insights.
Richard Humphries, Sam Mkokeli, Nelisiwe Tshabalala and Amanda Murimba produce this podcast
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