Peaches, nectarines lift total output of stone fruits
The National Agricultural Marketing Council says the total production of stone fruits for this season will improve slightly by 0.6% due to the estimated increase in the production of peaches and nectarines.
|||Johannesburg - The National Agricultural Marketing Council has said the total production of stone fruits for the current season will improve slightly by 0.6 percent due to the estimated increase in the production of peaches and nectarines.
The council said it did not expect any increase in the production of plums and apricots. South Africa’s exports of stone fruits to the world markets for the 2015/16 season are estimated to total 17 million cartons.
The variety of stone fruits exported depends on the consumer preferences in the particular market.
South African apricots during the current season are destined for the Middle East, with a market share of 49 percent, followed by Europe (25 percent) and the UK (24 percent).
South Africa’s production of grapes has fluctuated over the past 10 years with the highest peak in 2014/15 at 291 tons of total production, showing 16 percent growth during the period under review.
The country is known globally as a producer and exporter of citrus, deciduous and sub-tropical fruits.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, South Africa is the largest producer of stone fruits, which include apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums, in Africa.
Globally, it is ranked 20th in the production of stone fruits.
The current season’s production of stone fruits showed slight growth from the previous season’s 110 million cartons, led by peaches with a notable increase from 73 million cartons in 2012/13 to 83 million cartons in 2014/15, followed by plums with a total of 13 million cartons and apricots with a total of 12 million cartons.
It is estimated that the total production of stone fruits for the current season will improve slightly by 0.6 percent due to the estimated increase in the production of peaches and nectarines, despite there being no predicted increase in the production of plums and apricots.
BUSINESS REPORT