Table grape exports from Peru got off to a good start this year, despite continuing concern about the potential unrest in production areas.
ADEX, the country’s Exporters’ Association notes exports during October, the season’s opening month, rose by 11% over last season to $80 million. Table grapes were in third place for total agricultural exports from Peru, behind avocados and blueberries.
Between January and October, shipments totalled $546 million, presenting a growth of 23% over last season. The Ica region, which is the first producing region, led foreign grape sales totaling $324 million. However, there is concern due to the agricultural protests in the Ica region that affected transit throughout December.
Between January and October, Peruvian grape exports arrived at 48 destinations, with the U.S. as the main market, growing by 40.93% to $242.191 million.
The Netherlands followed in second place, increasing 14.53%, with Hong Kong, Mexico and China following. The top ten was completed by the UK, Spain, Colombia, South Korea and Canada. The most exported variety is the Red Globe, followed by Sweet Globe, Sugraone, Crimson Thompson, among others.
While production continues to do well in this region, the association warned about the potential impact due to the protests and road blockages.
There are daily protests preventing about 200 containers of agricultural products, representing a loss of about $10 million per day. Each container that stops moving has a value of about $50,000 on average.
Other northern grape-producing regions in October were Piura which increased its shipments by 16.6%; Lambayeque, which fell by 2.4%; and La Libertad which also suffered a loss of 16.3%.