2026 Harvest Update – September

As the 2026 pecan harvest season nears completion, the latest figures provide a clear picture of another significant year for the South African industry. The season has delivered a substantially larger crop, strong export volumes and a generally favourable quality profile.

Harvest Volume

By week 36, participating processors had received approximately 57,719 tons of pecans.

This is the highest volume recorded at the same stage over the past five seasons and is approximately 19% higher than the 48,524 tons received by week 36 in 2025.

The growth in volumes continues the strong upward trend in South African pecan production seen over recent years.

In-shell Exports

In-shell exports reached approximately 41,691 tons by week 36, compared with 36,475 tons at the same stage in 2025.

This represents an increase of approximately 14% year-on-year.

Approximately 72% of the volume received to date has already been exported in-shell, which is in line with the 71.7% average recorded by week 36 over the previous four seasons.

Quality and Size

Quality remains encouraging, with 93.2% of in-shell exports to date achieving a kernel percentage above 55%.

While this is below the exceptionally strong 97.2% recorded at the same stage in 2025, it is important to view 2025 as an unusually strong quality year rather than as the normal benchmark. The current 2026 result remains broadly consistent with the good quality levels achieved over previous completed seasons.

The 2026 figure should also still be regarded as preliminary, as only approximately 72% of the crop received to date has been exported and the final quality profile may therefore change as the season progresses.

Nut size has also remained favourable, with approximately 90% of in-shell exports grading Large or above, and Extra Large and Large making up the largest individual size categories.

Overall, the 2026 season is nearing completion with record volumes and strong export progress further highlighting the continued growth of the South African pecan industry.