• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
The South African wine industry expects a strong harvest despite concerns about its future, and looming court action. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Wine harvest underway despite looming court battle

29th January 2021
Andile Matukane, founder of Farmers Choice and Devroll Legodi, founder of Devroll Herbs, joined a recent session of Food For Mzansi’s Gather To Grow on twitter o discuss the cultivation of spring onions in Mzansi. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer 101: Top tips to grow spring onions

14th August 2022
This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

13th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
His life took a turn for the worst when he ended up in jail for dealing in drugs, but Thembinkosi Matika turned his life around and now helps others through his Legacy Farming Project. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

12th August 2022
Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

12th August 2022
Households in South Africa could be in for some respite in the coming months on food prices. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Food may soon be cheaper. What’s the catch?

12th August 2022
Archive photo. Western Cape agri MEC Ivan Meyer highlighted small towns' dependence on agriculture during a recent provincial summit with municipal leaders. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: MEC lines up municipal support for farmers

12th August 2022
Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

12th August 2022
Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

11th August 2022
Thanks to Netafim’s innovative solutions, drip irrigation is within reach of small-scale farmers. Photo: Supplied

Yes, precision irrigation is possible on a budget

11th August 2022
There's been a major breakthrough with South African citrus containers that have been contained at European ports. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Relief! Govt convinces EU to save SA citrus

11th August 2022
Willem Booise (left) is a trustee and has won the industry’s Specialist Agricultural Worker of the Year award in 2018. Photo: Supplied/Hortgro

Fruit farm shows there’s power in transformation

11th August 2022
Many people love avocados, but did you know that the introduction of just one of these fruits per day can improve the overall quality of your diet? Photo: Pixabay

An avocado a day can keep the doctor away

10th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Monday, August 15, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

    How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

    His life took a turn for the worst when he ended up in jail for dealing in drugs, but Thembinkosi Matika turned his life around and now helps others through his Legacy Farming Project. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

    Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Agricareers: Veterinary science not for the timid

    Once struggling farm now a family heirloom

    This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

    Optimal yields now at farmers’ finger tips

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

Wine harvest underway despite looming court battle

by Noluthando Ngcakani
29th January 2021
in News
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
The South African wine industry expects a strong harvest despite concerns about its future, and looming court action. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

The South African wine industry expects a strong harvest despite concerns about its future, and looming court action. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

While cellar capacity and financial liability due to the Covid-19-induced alcohol sales ban remain key concerns for the wine industry, it will now have to make peace with achieving an average of 1.37 million tonnes of grape estimates this year.

According to the latest estimate by South African Wine Industry Information and Systems (SAWIS) and Vinpro, the wine grape crop is at this stage expected to be only somewhat larger than in 2020, but still below the 15-year industry average.

The estimate in January is the second of five annual estimations before the harvest report will be released in May this year.

The wine grape harvest also kicked off two weeks later than usual, which may be a blessing or a curse for cellars, says Conrad Schutte, manager of Vinpro’s consultation service division.

ADVERTISEMENT
Vinpro consultation service manager Conrad Schutte. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
Vinpro consultation service manager Conrad Schutte. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Cooler temperatures and above-average rainfall continued into spring. This further contributed to somewhat late, but good flowering and set.

“On the one hand, it may win some time for cellars to open up processing and storage space should the alcohol ban be lifted in the next few weeks.

“On the other hand, warmer weather is predicted from mid-February until the last week of March, which may speed up ripening and create bottlenecks as some cultivars may catch up and the crop ripens simultaneously,” says Schutte.

Most areas experienced cold weather conditions towards the end of winter to meet vineyards’ cold requirements. Also, above average rain and snow replenished rivers, streams, irrigation dams and soil water levels, explains Schutte.

“Viticulturists are pleased with the amount and sizes of grape bunches at this stage.” – Conrad Schutte, Vinpro

Similar or somewhat larger crop sizes are expected in most areas due to moderate temperatures and sufficient water resources, which resulted in good vineyard growth, says Schutte.

“Veraison (a grapevine lifecycle stage) was also late and slow due to moderate temperatures since the start of summer and we’ve seen less temperature spikes than usual, which limits sunburn damage and helps retain flavour.

“Producers do, however, need to keep an eye out for downy and powdery mildew and manage it proactively.”

Making tough choices

The 19-week alcohol ban since March 2020 has had a negative effect on wineries’ sales volumes and led to higher stock levels.

Producers will have to make tough decisions in the vineyards with cellar capacity under severe pressure due to the continued alcohol ban, says Vinpro MD Rico Basson.

ADVERTISEMENT

ALSO READ: Lift booze ban or see you in court, says Vinpro

Rico Basson, managing director of Vinpro. Photo: Supplied.
Rico Basson, managing director of Vinpro. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

A month into the third alcohol ban and with the 2021 harvest commencing this week, the industry has more than 640 million litres of stock of which 250 to 300 million litres million is uncontracted.

“This poses a material risk of insufficient processing and storage capacity for the new harvest and threatens the sustainability of the wine industry,” Basson says.

While larger cellars have contingency plans which include renting additional capacity, allocating a portion to grape juice concentrate and lowering prices smaller producers may have greater difficulty creating storage and processing capacity, Basson says.

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs. Photo: Supplied/Government ZA
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs. Photo: Supplied/GCIS

“Slower moving stock due to lower sales figures, cash-flow challenges and the need for additional bridging finance that comes at a cost will all put a huge strain on the sustainability of the industry.

“This will inevitably result in many businesses and farms closing down, along with an estimated 27 000 job losses which will force those most vulnerable in our communities into a poverty trap.”

Lift alcohol sales ban now

This week, Vinpro lodged an urgent application with the Cape High Court to seek interim relief which would afford the premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, the power to adopt deviations to enable off- and on-consumption sale of liquor in the province.

Similar relief will be sought throughout the country.

“If the liquor ban is still in force in the Western Cape by 5 February, the date on which the matter is set for hearing, the Cape Town High Court will be asked to invalidate minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s ban in the Western Cape with immediate effect,” says Basson.

ALSO READ: Craft beer is dead, and government killed it

Tags: alcohol sales banCape Town High CourtConrad SchutteRico BassonSAWISSouth African Wine Industry Information and SystemsVinprowine harvest
Previous Post

Hydroponics farmer: ‘Am I smothering my new boo?’

Next Post

Wet weekend ahead for most of SA

Noluthando Ngcakani

Noluthando Ngcakani

With roots in the Northern Cape, this Kimberley Diamond has had a passion for telling human interest stories since she could speak her first words. A foodie by heart, she began her journalistic career as an intern at the SABC where she discovered her love for telling agricultural, community and nature related stories. Not a stranger to a challenge Ngcakani will go above and beyond to tell your truth.

Related Posts

The living and working conditions of farmworkers, farm dwellers and tenants are making headlines again and key players in the sector say they have solutions to some of the issues. Photo: Supplied/Zandwijk Wine Farm

How to shape a better life for SA’s farmworkers

by Duncan Masiwa
21st July 2022
0

Where do we begin to fix the inhumane working and living conditions for farmworkers and farm dwellers in Mzansi? The...

The Western Cape department of agriculture signed agreements last week with the National Wool Growers Association, Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust, Vinpro, the South African Table Grape Industry, South African Poultry Association, Potatoes SA, Raisins SA and Grain SA. Photo: Supplied/Hortgro

Commodity groups recommit to supporting new farmers

by Staff Reporter
28th April 2022
0

A rundown of news you may have missed this week: Commodity groups and the Western Cape department of agriculture sign...

Winners in the 2021 Agri’s Got Talent Competition. (From left)Jack Jonas, faith Nogemane (a general worker from Wildekrans Wine Estate, Botriver became the 8th winner of the competition) and Ronel Radloff. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Are you agriculture’s next singing sensation?

by Vateka Halile
31st March 2022
0

Agriculture's favourite talent competition, Agri’s Got Talent, is back with a bang! They are inviting all agricultural workers in the...

Grapes are coming in at the Diemersfontein Wine Estate in the Western Cape. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: SA wine producers pass harvest halfway mark

by Duncan Masiwa
30th March 2022
0

Despite a slow start to the harvest season, more than half of South Africa's 2022 wine grape crop has already...

Next Post
This weekend, scattered thunderstorms are expected from North West to the KwaZulu-Natal interior. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Wet weekend ahead for most of SA

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken
Recipes

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

by Noluthando Ngcakani
12th August 2022
0

MZANSI FLAVOUR: Calvin Venter might be young, but he has been working as a chef since the tender age of...

Read more
Households in South Africa could be in for some respite in the coming months on food prices. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Food may soon be cheaper. What’s the catch?

12th August 2022
Archive photo. Western Cape agri MEC Ivan Meyer highlighted small towns' dependence on agriculture during a recent provincial summit with municipal leaders. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: MEC lines up municipal support for farmers

12th August 2022
Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

12th August 2022
Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

11th August 2022

Farmer 101: Top tips to grow spring onions

Food may soon be cheaper. What’s the catch?

New farmer? Informal markets ‘the way to go’

Seasonal farmworkers struggle to get UIF

Setting up a regenerative smallholding

ICYMI: MEC lines up municipal support for farmers

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Farmer 101: Top tips to grow spring onions

How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

Food may soon be cheaper. What’s the catch?

ICYMI: MEC lines up municipal support for farmers

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.