Written and reported by Macarena Bravo | Lee esta noticia en español
The warm temperatures in April pushed the table grape season in Sonora ahead of schedule by two to three weeks. The head start has created an oversupply situation in the US market, which was already moving fruit from Chile and other Mexican regions.
“It is an atypical table grape season,” Sergio Lugo, Director of Mexico Table Grapes and the Sonora Table Grape Producers Association, told FreshFruitPortal.com.
The executive explained that a later cycle was projected initially, but Mother Nature had other plans, making the current 2026 campaign one of the earliest harvests in recent years. Heat accelerated plant development across the board, he added, jump-starting production in practically all varieties.
To date, nearly nine million boxes of table grapes have been exported to the United States, Lugo said, a figure considerably higher than the three million recorded during the same period last year.
According to the industry leader, Mexican volumes ran into table grapes from Chile and Jalisco, preventing the traditional seasonal transition gap and resulting in oversupply.
“A lot of table grapes piled up in the market and that caused prices to not be as expected,” he said.
Lugo noted that the drop in prices was significant.
“While at the beginning of the table grape season some 8.2-kilo boxes reached prices close to $37, they later dropped to $18 and even $16 per box.”
Given this scenario, the industry chose to tighten its selection criteria and export only premium fruit that met optimal quality standards and complied with the Marketing Order, to differentiate itself in a highly competitive market. The strategy impacted Sonora's production projections.
“Initially, we expected to close with between 18 and 19 million boxes, but now estimates have been adjusted to nearly 16 million,” Lugo added.
Despite the commercial pressure, the executive stressed the quality of Mexican fruit and noted that rejection rates remain historically low.
Currently, the Mexican season is transitioning from its early to its mid-to-late window, where varieties such as Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe will begin to take center stage.
The industry expects to market about 8 million additional boxes in the coming weeks, coinciding with strong demand associated with the World Cup and summer demand in the US.
Lugo said that the production’s head start could mean an early end to the Mexican season, with estimates pointing to closure in time for the 4th of July.
“This table grape season took us by surprise and generated a complicated marketing situation, but producers are making every effort to maintain the highest possible quality in the market,” he concluded.
*All images are referential.
On August 12, 2026, Monticello Conference Center, in Santiago, Chile, will host a new edition of the Global Grape Convention.
Organized by Yentzen Group, Frutas de Chile, Provid, Global Grape Group, and Mexico Table Grapes, the event will bring together leading international experts in an unmissable day of strategic content, key trends, and high-level analysis to anticipate market challenges.
The convention is a unique platform to connect with buyers, distributors, exporters, and retail leaders, generating real business opportunities and strengthening networks in a highly specialized environment.
For more info, contact events@yentzengroup.com
Tickets available at globalgrapeconvention.com
Related stories
Sweet Globe and AUTUMNCRISP lead new Mexican green grape strategy
Chilean table grape exports to fall by 5 million boxes after late summer rains
