While overall fruit quality remains good, warm, and dry conditions have resulted in the 2025/2026 canning season being characterised by early ripening, shortened picking windows, and smaller fruit sizes. That is according to the latest outlook by the Canning Fruit Producers’ Association (CFPA).
Bulida apricots
The Bulida apricot harvest is described as ‘probably the shortest in history’, with fruit ripening and becoming ready for picking within a single week. The harvest also started about 10 days earlier than last year, with most intakes occurring during the first week of December.
These large volumes moving through the system over a short period placed significant logistical pressure on farms and factories, resulting in substantial volumes of fruit being diverted from canning to juice.
Total Bulida apricot intake for canning, juice and purée declined from 27 315t in the 2024/2025 season to 21 673t in 2025/2026. Volumes allocated to canning slumped from 13 426t to 11 823t, while volumes diverted to juice and purée declined from 13 889t to 9 851t.
The total harvest, including fresh and dried Bulida apricots, was about 20% lower, declining from 27 665t to 21 998t.
Cling peaches
Cling peaches had a promising start to the season, but warm, dry climatic conditions also took their toll.
Jacques Jordaan, CEO of the CFPA, told Farmer’s Weekly that initial projections were for total production to increase from 120 070t in the 2024/2025 season to 123 916t in 2025/2026. Of this, volumes allocated to canning, juice and purée were expected to rise from 84 038t to 86 741t.
Volumes diverted to canning were expected to increase from 62 705t to 64 436t, while allocations to juice and purée were projected to rise from 21 333t to 22 205t.
“We now expect the harvest to be 5% to 10% lower than last year. The dry, warm climatic conditions had a significant impact on fruit size, which could not be rectified through irrigation and tree thinning,” said Jordaan.
Large variations between cultivars have been observed, with Keisies generally less affected than Cascades and Sandvliet cultivars. Older orchards also appear to have been more vulnerable.
Bon Chrétien pears
Bon Chrétien pear sizes have also been negatively affected by dry, warm conditions, particularly in the Breede River, Robertson and Ladismith regions. Better fruit sizes have been reported in Ceres and Villiersdorp.
Total production was initially expected to increase from 85 982t to 87 421t, with volumes allocated to canning, juice and purée projected to rise from 55 387t to 55 949t.
Of this, volumes for canning were expected to increase from 31 257t to 31 472t, while allocations to juice and purée were forecast to rise from 24 130t to 24 478t. Jordaan now expects final pear intakes to be 10% to 15% lower than last season.
Market challenges
International market conditions remain uncertain and under pressure, largely due to political developments and trade policy decisions in the US.
Jordaan said South Africa has historically benefited from preferential access to the US under the AGOA agreement, but the introduction of 30% tariffs has significantly eroded its competitiveness relative to other suppliers. The US is a net importer of canned fruit, with only two core canning operations remaining, while most imports originate from Greece and China.
Uncertainty in the US has been compounded by industry consolidation following Del Monte Foods filing for bankruptcy last year. While the situation was stabilised in early 2026 through asset acquisitions by Fresh Del Monte Produce and Pacific Coast Producers, questions remain around inventory management and the short-term impact on demand.
However, Jordaan expects the consolidation to create new opportunities over the medium to long term.
With about 80% of South Africa’s canned fruit production destined for export markets, exchange rate movements also play a critical role in profitability.
“The rand has strengthened steadily, moving from around R19 to the US$ in 2024 to between R16,10 and R16,50 currently, placing further pressure on export margins,” said Jordaan.
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