Terrific Namibian grape season has âfar exceeded our expectationsâ
The 2020/21 Namibian table grape season started about 10 days later than normal and itâs ending on a high note this week with Kobus Bothma, executive director of Capespan Namibia, calling it Namibiaâs best ever grape season, ending around 12% above the initial estimate.
The delay in starting, coupled with ideal weather conditions during the packing period, have in fact produced grapes of excellent quality, he says.
âThe area received only 10mm of rain in the harvesting period, compared to some production areas in the northern parts of South Africa receiving 50 to 80mm of rain.â
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There are roughly 12,000 to 15,000 permanent and seasonal workers in the Aussenkehr Valley and Noordoewer to grow, harvest and pack Namibia’s 7.5 million 4.5kg cartons of table grapes.
Every year thousands of Namibians come from as far north as the Kavango Region to the south of Namibia in the hope of seasonal opportunities in the vineyards during the two months of the table grape season.
This year, more people than usual came, says Kobus Bothma, vice-chair of the Namibian Grape Growers Association, as Namibia’s economy suffers under Covid and drought.