Sapex, a South African fruit importer and exporter, started the 2024-2025 pomegranate season by packing the first Angel Red in Limpopo province. The fruit comes from the AL3 plantation and was packed at the Midway facility near Polokwane. It was then harvested at Sunfox near Groblersdal.

In a typical year, Sapex detailed that they start packing pomegranates in early January, but on this occasion, the earliest fruit ripened two weeks earlier.

The company indicated that “the quality looks good", but that the pomegranates are slightly smaller than expected.

“We expected Angel Red to peak between numbers 12 and 14. However, the first crop appears to peak at 14 or slightly lower. This may be due to the early season, but it may also indicate what the rest of the season may look like. If this lower caliber holds, South African volumes could be 10-15% lower than expected,” Sapex explained.

Overall, packing was good, with about 80% Class 1.

The first Angel Reds will be destined for local consumption, as prices in South Africa before Christmas are expected to be very good.

Wonderful pomegranates

The first Wonderful - from the earliest areas - will be packed in mid-February and should reach export markets in early March.

The company has growers throughout South Africa, enabling it to cover the entire season, which ends in late April or early May.

*Sapex photographs.