The first "1st Table Grape Congress'' has convened, with Peruvian and Chilean growers jointly acting to increase grape consumption worldwide.
The meeting, held on Aug. 23-24 in Ica, Peru, involved the Peruvian Association of Table Grape Producers (Provid) and the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX). Leading the way were Provid’s general Manager, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, and the marketing director and coordinator of ASOEX’s Table Grape Committee, Ignacio Caballero.
The U.S. is the largest destination market for both Chile and Peru, with shipments representing 49% and 46% of total exports for each country, respectively.
ASOEX and Provid agreed to work together, using the growing Peruvian offer and Chile’s great know-how in international promotions.
"ASOEX has been investing in promotions focused on the U.S. market for more than 20 years. With the joint supply of Peru and Chile, during last season there were more than nine weeks in which the supply of table grapes exceeded the weekly volume that this market can consume," says Caballero.
The Chilean points out that it is urgent to work on “seducing the consumer” to prefer South American fruit by highlighting its attributes such as the high concentration of antioxidants, which is even higher than blueberries, in addition to “a unique sweetness that allows it to replace chocolate as a pleasure without remorse for all age groups," he adds.
According to Provid figures, the 2022-2023 Peruvian table grape exports totaled 71,404,349 boxes, a 10% increase over last season. It also grew by 5% in planted acres, reaching 54,793.
As for Chile, ASOEX’s general manager indicates that "this season we marked a great milestone, because of all the exported volume, 55% was of new varieties, which leaves us now with the task ahead of us to increase this number.”
