Fewer Chilean table grapes will be exported to the United States during its peak export window this season, projecting a 10 percent decline from 2025 volumes. Growers are facing an oversupply of grapes in the international market, plus the South Americans are replacing traditional varieties with newer, more productive grapes.
The US accounts for just over half of Chile’s total table grape exports, with estimates of 34.7 million 18-pound boxes to be shipped this season. The Andean country’s Table Grape Committee forecasts global exports of 63.5 million boxes, down 6.6 percent year-on-year.
The Chilean Table Grape Committee reports the 2026 season will be a year of adjustment, consolidating the varietal replacement with new cultivars, which this year will account for 72 percent. Five years ago, only 36 percent of exported table grapes were new varieties.
The imbalance between supply and demand in the US market is contributing to the pullback. Weekly demand has remained steady for years at between 3.5 million and 4 million boxes, while global supply has expanded.
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