Namibia plans to begin exporting grapes to China by early 2021.

The Namibian table-grape industry produces 7.5 million 4.5 kg-equivalent cartons per annum on 2 500 ha, Fresh Plaza reports, adding that the Namibian Grape Growers Association has said the industry will initially allocate up to 10% of its volumes to China.

The Southern African country currently exports table grapes to European markets, but the market is expected to grow considerably once it starts exporting to China.

According to FTW Online, Namibian Grape Growers’ Association chairperson Nico van der Merwe anticipates that grape producers may earn around ZAR800 million in revenue from China alone.

‘China can consume all our current grape exports to the EU in three days – that is how strong the market is. So if we have this market, the grape industry can expand tremendously,’ he says, adding that negotiations between the two countries were ‘ongoing’.

3 September 2019
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