South African table grapes regain Thai market access
After an eight-year absence in the Thai market, South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) CEO Willem Bestbier has hailed the country's official reopening as a significant step for diversifying market access.
For an industry that sends 80% of its fruit to continental Europe and the U.K., the sector has identified South East Asia as a target market with large economically active populations and growing economies.
The official protocol was published in Bangkok on Jan. 18.
Bestbier said before the unexpected market closure eight years ago, sales of South African grapes were growing steadily in Thailand. Now that the opportunity is back on, Bestbier says there is great excitement amongst growers in the production areas of the Berg River and Hex River valleys.
"The reopening of the market in Thailand is an important achievement for the South African Table Grape Industry and this has been made possible through the ongoing proactive and co-operative efforts of Government, SATI and the private sector," added SATI chairman Michael Laubscher.
"This process has also certainly proved the value of Fruit South Africa to our market access endeavours.
"The train of events that led to the closing of this market as well as the time and efforts it took to reverse this situation have again highlighted the importance of continuously engaging with the various markets to ensure that our industry complies with all the market access requirements."
Hex River Table Grape Producers' Association chairman Anton Viljoen described the Thai decision was good news for growers, providing them with a broader choice of market destinations which would relieve some of the market pressure on traditional markets.
"This also makes South African producers more competitive within the international marketing arena," Viljoen said.
"Producers who are currently harvesting and packing will most certainly be making use of the opportunity to market their product within this newly opened market during the remainder of our harvest."
Photo: www.shutterstock.com
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