South African early grape harvesting is on track to deliver the best produce to global markets according to South African Fruit Exporters (SAFE) General Manager of Farming Operations, Dries van Rooyen.
SAFE has a number of farms across South Africa. This week FreshPlaza visited a SAFE farm near Kakamas in the Northern Cape to see how the season was progressing.
The grape harvest here was 35% complete. 
According to Van Rooyen, drought conditions in many areas have compelled farmers to make the best use of the water available. But they also have to protect their crop from heavy rain and hail.