Pomegranates Exports See Organic Growth in South Africa

In 2022, South African pomegranate exports increased by 15% YoY, totaling 1,995,705 pcs 3.8 kg boxes (about two-thirds for processing), representing a significant increase over the previous decade, according to the SA Official Perishable Produce Export Certification Agency. Exports of fresh pomegranate to Middle and Far East countries compensated for lower results in the EU and Russian markets.

Pomegranate production in South Africa is primarily concentrated in the Western Cape (80%), with some plantings also occurring in the Orange River area, Limpopo Province, and the Southern Cape. South Africa is one of the four major Southern Hemisphere (SH) suppliers to international markets, and Peru (74% of SH exports), Chile (14%), and Argentina (4% of SH exports) are the main competitors. Late-ripening Wonderful (68%), mid-season Herskovitz (14%), and early cultivar Acco (10%) are the main pomegranate export cultivars grown in South Africa. Kessari/Baghwa is the most commonly sold pomegranate in South Africa because the quality needs to be consistently better for exports.

In 2023, a smaller harvest was initially anticipated due to heavy rains, but many Cape growers have reported comparable or higher yields. Still, the Wonderful variety volume is expected to be around 20% lower, and the fruit quality is anticipated to suffer due to wet summer conditions. Lower-quality fruit might not necessarily reflect on export figures, especially for the Middle East region, due to the usage of fruits for processing and making value-added products like fresh juices.

Export of Fresh Pomegranate From South Africa

Source: TradeMap and Tridge

Export quantities of fresh pomegranate from South Africa have seen constant growth since 2018, more than doubling in 2022, up to 7,581 MT. The seasonality of fresh pomegranates in South Africa starts in February and lasts until April. In 2022, there was a perfect opportunity for South African traders to dominate the EU market since competitors like Peru and Chile's harvest period starts in March, almost one month later. Delays, congestion at South African ports in Q1 of 2022, and the availability of equipment and vessels hampered traders' ability to meet the high demand for pomegranates. Due to difficulties in shipping pomegranates to Russia, early Peruvian pomegranates that would have gone to Russia instead went to Europe, putting the market under pressure and making it difficult for SA volume to improve sales. The Middle East, on the other hand, has been the fastest-growing market in recent years, and South Africa now ships more than half of its pomegranates to this region. One of the primary benefits is that shipments arrive just before the end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), which falls on April 21-22 this year.

Unlike other fruit sectors in South Africa, pomegranate has been more resilient and showed organic growth in the past decade, with an increasing number of orchards. Acreage under pomegranate grew from 70 ha in 2007 to 1,032 ha in 2020, with a small number of growers dropping out or shifting to other fruit production. Considering that it takes 5-6 years for pomegranate orchards to enter full production and that the highest acreage planted was in 2018, estimations are that in 2023 production of pomegranate in South Africa will be around Tridge predictions are optimistic about further growth of pomegranate exports from South Africa.