Shifting vines: How China’s appetite is reshaping the grape market
Read this story in Spanish.
China’s taste for table grapes keeps ripening—and so does the competition to supply it. What began as a modest import market two decades ago has grown into one of the industry’s most closely watched battlegrounds. Between 2005 and 2024, grape imports rose by 110 percent, going from 57,000 to 120,000 tons. While the Asian giant remains the world’s largest producer, domestic consumption exceeds supply, keeping the country a year-round buyer.
With Australia and Peru now edging ahead as key trading partners, the United States is working to hold its ground, according to new data from market analytics firm Fluctuante.
Aussie grape growers rise to the top
Australia entered the Chinese market in 2011 with about 568 tons. By 2024, it supplied nearly 38,600 tons—making it China’s largest external source.
Fluctuante attributes the rise to favorable climate, off-season production windows, and Australia’s ability to ship during periods of tight domestic supply. The Crimson Seedless variety drives most shipments “due to its sweetness, firmness and colour, characteristics that are highly valued by consumers,” the firm says.
The report adds that a five-year extension of the Hort Innovation program—promoted by the Australian Table Grape Association and co-funded by the government—“strengthens the sector's competitiveness and consolidates Australia's presence in strategic markets such as China.”
Peru climbs as technology boosts output
Peruvian grapes made their Chinese debut in 2006 and have since grown from third to second among suppliers, shipping about 37,400 tons in 2024. Fluctuante credits the growth to investments in precision irrigation, drone monitoring, and other on-farm technologies that sustain productivity in arid regions such as Ica.
The report notes that “automated packing plants and digital control systems ensure that each bunch arrives with excellent appearance and freshness.” According to Fluctuante, this combination of technology and supply capacity has helped Peru position itself as “one of the most competitive suppliers within China.”
Chile adjusts amid rising competition
Chile led Chinese grape imports in 2005 with 37,500 tons, but shipments dropped to 33,100 tons in 2024, placing Chile in third place.
Fluctuante cites structural challenges, including labor shortages, prolonged drought, higher production costs, and new varieties that underperformed. These pressures have pushed Chilean growers toward what the release describes as “productive and strategic adjustments.”
A more diversified supplier mix
Seven countries now supply most of China’s imported grapes: Australia, Peru, Chile, South Africa, India, South Korea, and the United States. Fluctuante says China has moved “from depending on a few suppliers to forming a broad, diversified, and highly competitive market.”
The report adds that increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers and professionalized exporters are shaping an environment “where only countries capable of adapting to the new dynamics of Asian trade can maintain or gain market share.”
Despite production growth, China’s expanding and quality-focused demand “will remain a key market for global table grapes in the coming years,” Fluctuante states.
Related stories
The keys behind Peru's unprecedented 2025-26 table grape market expansion
Subscribe to our newsletter
