Peru officially became the leading table grape exporter in the world in 2023, taking the top spot once held by Chile and commanding 16% of the global trade for this commodity. Now, holding the second place, the Chilean industry is betting on varietal change to make a comeback.
The Chilean Table Grape Committee posted its first 2024 estimate in late October, projecting over 60 million 180-pound boxes to be harvested this upcoming season. With harvest underway in most producing regions, projections remain optimistic.
Uvanova reports the central producing regions are significantly early, particularly in shorter vegetative cycle cultivars such as the white Superior and Thomson varieties.
Uvanova is Chile’s research commission for table grape development, looking to identify challenges and bring solutions to the industry.
Uvanova is estimating volumes of 62 million boxes, Cruz warns that yields could be later and lower than expected due to higher temperatures.
As for exports, Uvanova sees a possible increase.
During the second week of the season, three million boxes were shipped. This compares to 1.9 million boxes a year ago. In terms of percentage exported to date, Chile has exported about the 60 million boxes or 5 to 8% of the total.