The Mexican Table Grapes Association reports heavy rains hit the Corborca producing area and affected primarily the red grape variety of Flames.
Nearly 2 inches of rain severely impacted the grape-producing area right before peak harvest and will affect early shipments of variety the most. An early damage estimate sees 50 to 60 percent of the crop in that production area lost.
The association reported the Hermosillo area, which also has significant production, did not suffer major damage. Last year, production reached 6 million boxes of Flame grapes across the three regions: Hermosillo, Guaymas, and Caborca. Guaymas is the smallest, Hermosillo had nearly 300,000 boxes, and Caborca produced 2.6 million boxes. This year, they had only harvested about 155,000 boxes as its season was just beginning.
Despite the weather event, about 12 to 15 million boxes of fruit is expected to be shipped in the coming weeks. The initial forecast was for a total of 24 million boxes.