A big rebound Chilean grape shipments in 2021-22 is forecast in a new estimate from the USDA’s Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.
Chilean grape Volume will rebound from the decline caused in the 2020-21 season from heavy rain.
At 805,000 metric tons, the USDA’s estimate of Chilean grape production for 2021-22 is up 22% from the 2020-21 season. Chilean grape exports also will increase 22.9% to 645,000 metric tons in the 2021-22 season.
The Oppenheimer Group (Oppy) reports excellent growing conditions in Chile so far this season, and expects to have good volume from January through May. Oppy is shipping Chilean pears, grapes, kiwifruit, citrus, pluots, plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries, berries, avocados, apricots and apples.
Oppy ship grapes 12-months a year and sources product from Chile and Brazil, as well as South Africa, Mexico and California.
The rebound in Chilean grape production is associated in part with increased production from new varieties planted in recent years and a return to more normalized climatic conditions, according to the USDA report.
During the 2020-21 season rainfall during the last week of January 2021 damaged the table grape crop that was ready for harvest in the central region of the country, specifically in the regions of Valparaíso, Metropolitana, and O’Higgins.
That rainfall pulled down Chilean grape production by 15.3%, according to the report, reaching 664,700 metric tons.
For the upcoming 2021-22 season, the USDA table grape exports will total 645,000 metric tons, a 22.8% increase over last season. The U.S. remains the main market for Chilean table grape exports, accounting for 48.5% of Chilean table grape exports.
In 2020-21, Chilean table grape exports to the U.S. totaled 254,811 metric tons, a 7.5% decrease compared with marketing year 2019-20.
Oppy notes one advantage the industry has is that the Chilean bulk grapes are shipped in break bulk vessels. These vessels are unloaded at different terminals from container shipments, and helps volume bypass the current bottleneck.
China is the second market for Chilean grapes, totaling 78,117 metric tons in 2020-21, a 30.1% decline over marketing year 2019-20.