Wine farmers stay positive despite many producers in the red

Just as worrying is that the industry now has 25% fewer producers than a decade ago.

Wine-grape production for the year was nearly 1.23-million tonnes, about 15% down compared to 2017, according to wine producers body Vinpro.

It says the only way to ensure a sustainable supply of wine is for farmers to receive higher prices for their wine. The average net farming income was about R45,000/ha compared with the R70,000/ha required to be financially sustainable.

Wine is one of SA’s largest agricultural exports, with nearly 100,000ha of vineyards, mostly in the Western Cape, accounting for 4% of world production.

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