In the fruit markets, the banana price increased to R8.01 per kilogram or R144 per 18kg box with volumes also increasing. I still think that we can remain close to current price levels for September as well, but that the price can jump in October to around the R10 mark due to lower expected volumes.

The latest apple price increased to R10.68 last week and is now 12% than a year ago. If we remain on last year’s price trend, we can possibly move above R13 in November when prices are expected to peak. The latest pear price remained on R10.45 per kilogram and is 10% higher than a year ago. The price will likely remain sideways in September, but then increase significantly from October until December due to lower volumes.

The Orange price decreased slightly to R5.76 the past week with volumes increasing by 27% week on week and will probably only see higher prices from October onwards.

The Avo price increased by 15% to R20.29 per kilogram last week with volumes 22% higher week on week. Fuertes traded higher on R28.40, Hass higher on R14.56 while Pinkertons increased to R16.42. We haven’t quite seen the level of volumes when compared to the 2020 season and I think it is due to more fruits that can be exported. Because this is another “higher volume” season, we can stay on or just above the price levels seen in 2020. So, if we follow a similar trend as in 2020, we can stay in an upward price trend until November at least, but not necessarily move past the R30 mark this year.

The average table grape price decreased to R54.53, pineapple prices traded higher on R11.36, lemons increased to R5.35 while the average Blueberry price traded 22% lower on R68.99 per kilogram. The Blueberry off-season is from February to April when we usually see very high prices. However, from June to November each year there is a significant increase in volumes on the markets, which is keeping prices on a lower level. So expect Blueberry prices to move closer to R30 per kg towards the end of the year.