Heavy rains, frosts, and even hailstorms are increasingly occurring in unusual areas or at unexpected times. Such was the case with an atypical rainstorm that struck northwestern Mexico, leaving a significant impact on table grape production, particularly affecting the Flame variety in the Caborca region of Sonora.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with Sergio Lugo, director of Mexico Table Grapes and of the Sonora Table Grape Growers Association, who said that nearly 2 inches of rain severely impacted the grape-producing area right before peak harvest.
Lugo said these weather events rarely happen in the region at this time of year. "It caused a problem specifically with early red varieties, particularly Flame, especially in the Caborca region,” he said.
He noted that the damage was considerable: “Preliminarily, we estimate an impact in production volumes of nearly 50 to 60% in that region.”
The Hermosillo area, which also has significant production, did not suffer major impacts.
He explained, “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 their season was just beginning.”
The director of Mexico Table Grapes explained that when the unusual rainfall occurred, growers were just about to begin the harvest. “So the reality is that there is an impact on Flame.”
Lugo explained that the early red varieties are indeed going to face issues. But he emphasized, “We have no problems with the other varieties.”
The situation is still under evaluation, especially in the Hermosillo area—“where the damage was minimal, and we’ve been seeing that the fruit is looking very good.”
Regardless of the weather event, around 12 to 15 million boxes of fruit may still be available in the coming weeks. “And the idea is to continue offering the best quality grapes. We are confident that our green varieties, such as Sweet Globe and Sweet Celebration, will not have major issues.”
He was clear in stating that “this was a very atypical event. Some fields in the same region had only 10% damage, while others experienced nearly 60%.”
Due to the impact, Lugo noted that the team and members are working hard in every orchard to present the best grapes possible.
He added that the market is eager for grapes. “The reality is that we were running a bit late—about 10 days—so the red grape market had been flowing very well. With this setback, all of our growers have put in their best efforts, labor, and resources to meet pre-established commitments and, above all, to offer the best grapes to the market.”
He explained that the initial forecast was 24 million boxes. “So despite the damages to Flame, we still have a significant volume and great opportunities for our other grape varieties.”
Harvests began on May 5. “We usually start reporting a larger market presence in the last week of May. Caborca was expected to start in early June with a significant volume, especially of Flame. Given what happened in Caborca, we now just have to wait and assess what can be recovered and analyze things alongside Hermosillo and Guaymas.”
He said, “There’s still a long season ahead. We have excellent fruit in our orchards, and above all, we are doing our part to fulfill all commitments and offer the best grapes to the market and final consumer.”
Regarding the Flame variety, Lugo said the majority was destined for the U.S. market.
He reassured: “We are fully confident that our late varieties, and especially our remaining green grapes and upcoming Sweet Celebration reds, will have no issues and show no damage.”
He stressed that confidence remains high in the green and late red varieties for the rest of the season: “There will be no problems. On the contrary, there’s going to be a very good supply of high-quality grapes, with good volume. We are confident there will be enough fruit to meet all market requirements and demand in the coming weeks.”
Lugo mentioned that a Mexico Table Grape-affiliated insurance fund is already assisting damaged orchards. “In Hermosillo and Guaymas, the damage was minimal, not enough to report any claims.”
He added that in the Caborca region, the association is already working to fulfill the insurance obligations for affected members, enabling them to access coverage.
Sergio Lugo said they are analyzing how to prevent such damage in the event of similar future weather events.
He noted that every season has been entirely different: “We’ve faced some atypical situations. I believe this is just the nature of agriculture—you can be well-prepared, have the best product, facilities, and workforce, but things like this can still happen.”
Finally, he delivered a message to the sector: “We understand the situation our growers are facing, and we know the market is eager for fruit.”
He reiterated, “We still have excellent fruit for the coming days, and we’re confident our growers will deliver, despite the situation. I want to emphasize that our impact was limited to the Flame variety. Other varieties may show some size or Brix variations, but we’re working in every field to offer the best grapes possible.”
The first edition of GrapeTech will take place on June 18 at the Monticello Casino Events Center. The event, organized by UvaNova and the Yentzen Group, will be the most important technical and commercial gathering on table grapes in Chile. It will bring together global experts to share and discuss topics such as postharvest, crop management, analysis of new varieties, and nutrition, among others. For more information, contact events@yentzengroup.com or visit www.grapetechconvention.com
Heavy rains, frosts, and even hailstorms are increasingly occurring in unusual areas or at unexpected times. Such was the case with an atypical rainstorm that struck northwestern Mexico, leaving a significant impact on table grape production, particularly affecting the Flame variety in the Caborca region of Sonora.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with Sergio Lugo, director of Mexico Table Grapes and of the Sonora Table Grape Growers Association, who said that nearly 2 inches of rain severely impacted the grape-producing area right before peak harvest.
Lugo said these weather events rarely happen in the region at this time of year. "It caused a problem specifically with early red varieties, particularly Flame, especially in the Caborca region,” he said.
He noted that the damage was considerable: “Preliminarily, we estimate an impact in production volumes of nearly 50 to 60% in that region.”
The Hermosillo area, which also has significant production, did not suffer major impacts.
He explained, “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 their season was just beginning.”
The director of Mexico Table Grapes explained that when the unusual rainfall occurred, growers were just about to begin the harvest. “So the reality is that there is an impact on Flame.”
Lugo explained that the early red varieties are indeed going to face issues. But he emphasized, “We have no problems with the other varieties.”
The situation is still under evaluation, especially in the Hermosillo area—“where the damage was minimal, and we’ve been seeing that the fruit is looking very good.”
Regardless of the weather event, around 12 to 15 million boxes of fruit may still be available in the coming weeks. “And the idea is to continue offering the best quality grapes. We are confident that our green varieties, such as Sweet Globe and Sweet Celebration, will not have major issues.”
He was clear in stating that “this was a very atypical event. Some fields in the same region had only 10% damage, while others experienced nearly 60%.”
Due to the impact, Lugo noted that the team and members are working hard in every orchard to present the best grapes possible.
He added that the market is eager for grapes. “The reality is that we were running a bit late—about 10 days—so the red grape market had been flowing very well. With this setback, all of our growers have put in their best efforts, labor, and resources to meet pre-established commitments and, above all, to offer the best grapes to the market.”
He explained that the initial forecast was 24 million boxes. “So despite the damages to Flame, we still have a significant volume and great opportunities for our other grape varieties.”
Harvests began on May 5. “We usually start reporting a larger market presence in the last week of May. Caborca was expected to start in early June with a significant volume, especially of Flame. Given what happened in Caborca, we now just have to wait and assess what can be recovered and analyze things alongside Hermosillo and Guaymas.”
He said, “There’s still a long season ahead. We have excellent fruit in our orchards, and above all, we are doing our part to fulfill all commitments and offer the best grapes to the market and final consumer.”
Regarding the Flame variety, Lugo said the majority was destined for the U.S. market.
He reassured: “We are fully confident that our late varieties, and especially our remaining green grapes and upcoming Sweet Celebration reds, will have no issues and show no damage.”
He stressed that confidence remains high in the green and late red varieties for the rest of the season: “There will be no problems. On the contrary, there’s going to be a very good supply of high-quality grapes, with good volume. We are confident there will be enough fruit to meet all market requirements and demand in the coming weeks.”
Lugo mentioned that a Mexico Table Grape-affiliated insurance fund is already assisting damaged orchards. “In Hermosillo and Guaymas, the damage was minimal, not enough to report any claims.”
He added that in the Caborca region, the association is already working to fulfill the insurance obligations for affected members, enabling them to access coverage.
Sergio Lugo said they are analyzing how to prevent such damage in the event of similar future weather events.
He noted that every season has been entirely different: “We’ve faced some atypical situations. I believe this is just the nature of agriculture—you can be well-prepared, have the best product, facilities, and workforce, but things like this can still happen.”
Finally, he delivered a message to the sector: “We understand the situation our growers are facing, and we know the market is eager for fruit.”
He reiterated, “We still have excellent fruit for the coming days, and we’re confident our growers will deliver, despite the situation. I want to emphasize that our impact was limited to the Flame variety. Other varieties may show some size or Brix variations, but we’re working in every field to offer the best grapes possible.”
The first edition of GrapeTech will take place on June 18 at the Monticello Casino Events Center. The event, organized by UvaNova and the Yentzen Group, will be the most important technical and commercial gathering on table grapes in Chile. It will bring together global experts to share and discuss topics such as postharvest, crop management, analysis of new varieties, and nutrition, among others. For more information, contact events@yentzengroup.com or visit www.grapetechconvention.com
Heavy rains, frosts, and even hailstorms are increasingly occurring in unusual areas or at unexpected times. Such was the case with an atypical rainstorm that struck northwestern Mexico, leaving a significant impact on table grape production, particularly affecting the Flame variety in the Caborca region of Sonora.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with Sergio Lugo, director of Mexico Table Grapes and of the Sonora Table Grape Growers Association, who said that nearly 2 inches of rain severely impacted the grape-producing area right before peak harvest.
Lugo said these weather events rarely happen in the region at this time of year. "It caused a problem specifically with early red varieties, particularly Flame, especially in the Caborca region,” he said.
He noted that the damage was considerable: “Preliminarily, we estimate an impact in production volumes of nearly 50 to 60% in that region.”
The Hermosillo area, which also has significant production, did not suffer major impacts.
He explained, “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 their season was just beginning.”
The director of Mexico Table Grapes explained that when the unusual rainfall occurred, growers were just about to begin the harvest. “So the reality is that there is an impact on Flame.”
Lugo explained that the early red varieties are indeed going to face issues. But he emphasized, “We have no problems with the other varieties.”
The situation is still under evaluation, especially in the Hermosillo area—“where the damage was minimal, and we’ve been seeing that the fruit is looking very good.”
Regardless of the weather event, around 12 to 15 million boxes of fruit may still be available in the coming weeks. “And the idea is to continue offering the best quality grapes. We are confident that our green varieties, such as Sweet Globe and Sweet Celebration, will not have major issues.”
He was clear in stating that “this was a very atypical event. Some fields in the same region had only 10% damage, while others experienced nearly 60%.”
Due to the impact, Lugo noted that the team and members are working hard in every orchard to present the best grapes possible.
He added that the market is eager for grapes. “The reality is that we were running a bit late—about 10 days—so the red grape market had been flowing very well. With this setback, all of our growers have put in their best efforts, labor, and resources to meet pre-established commitments and, above all, to offer the best grapes to the market.”
He explained that the initial forecast was 24 million boxes. “So despite the damages to Flame, we still have a significant volume and great opportunities for our other grape varieties.”
Harvests began on May 5. “We usually start reporting a larger market presence in the last week of May. Caborca was expected to start in early June with a significant volume, especially of Flame. Given what happened in Caborca, we now just have to wait and assess what can be recovered and analyze things alongside Hermosillo and Guaymas.”
He said, “There’s still a long season ahead. We have excellent fruit in our orchards, and above all, we are doing our part to fulfill all commitments and offer the best grapes to the market and final consumer.”
Regarding the Flame variety, Lugo said the majority was destined for the U.S. market.
He reassured: “We are fully confident that our late varieties, and especially our remaining green grapes and upcoming Sweet Celebration reds, will have no issues and show no damage.”
He stressed that confidence remains high in the green and late red varieties for the rest of the season: “There will be no problems. On the contrary, there’s going to be a very good supply of high-quality grapes, with good volume. We are confident there will be enough fruit to meet all market requirements and demand in the coming weeks.”
Lugo mentioned that a Mexico Table Grape-affiliated insurance fund is already assisting damaged orchards. “In Hermosillo and Guaymas, the damage was minimal, not enough to report any claims.”
He added that in the Caborca region, the association is already working to fulfill the insurance obligations for affected members, enabling them to access coverage.
Sergio Lugo said they are analyzing how to prevent such damage in the event of similar future weather events.
He noted that every season has been entirely different: “We’ve faced some atypical situations. I believe this is just the nature of agriculture—you can be well-prepared, have the best product, facilities, and workforce, but things like this can still happen.”
Finally, he delivered a message to the sector: “We understand the situation our growers are facing, and we know the market is eager for fruit.”
He reiterated, “We still have excellent fruit for the coming days, and we’re confident our growers will deliver, despite the situation. I want to emphasize that our impact was limited to the Flame variety. Other varieties may show some size or Brix variations, but we’re working in every field to offer the best grapes possible.”
The first edition of GrapeTech will take place on June 18 at the Monticello Casino Events Center. The event, organized by UvaNova and the Yentzen Group, will be the most important technical and commercial gathering on table grapes in Chile. It will bring together global experts to share and discuss topics such as postharvest, crop management, analysis of new varieties, and nutrition, among others. For more information, contact events@yentzengroup.com or visit www.grapetechconvention.com
