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The 2025/26 season may become one of the most pivotal in the history of the Indian table grape industry.
The main factor was an unusually long monsoon season, accompanied by rainfall well above historical averages, which directly affected vine physiology across the country’s main production regions. Unlike previous seasons, the climatic impact had deep consequences on bud fertility and reproductive development, particularly in Thompson Seedless and its clones, which remain the historical foundation of the Indian table grape export industry.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
Many growers reported “filage” or bunch reversion phenomena, a physiological disorder in which reproductive structures undergo varying degrees of vegetative reversion, significantly reducing yield potential and bunch uniformity.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
The production decline also pushed domestic market prices significantly higher, reducing grower interest in export markets in favor of local sales. As a result, export availability tightened throughout the season. However, rather than representing a structural limitation for the industry, the 2025/26 season could become an inflection point, accelerating one of the most important processes currently underway in the Indian table grape sector: varietal transition.
The heavy reliance on Thompson Seedless and its clones has exposed the physiological limitations of this varietal group under increasingly complex climatic scenarios, driving the search for more resilient and consistent genetic alternatives. In many production regions, the agronomic performance gap observed this season between patented varieties and traditional cultivars became a pivotal validation point for new genetics as a key productive tool under increasingly challenging climatic conditions. 
Companies such as Bloom Fresh and ARRA have spent years developing and validating varieties adapted to India’s unique production conditions. ARRA has shown promising commercial results with ARRA 36, while Bloom Fresh continues to expand varieties such as Allison, Timco, and Timpson, and is also moving toward the commercial development of Sweet Globe and Sweet Celebration. Other breeding programs, such as ITUM and Volcani Center, are also actively participating in this market.
Everything suggests that India will experience a varietal revolution in the coming years, similar to what was previously seen in Chile and Peru, although with one major advantage: the enormous amount of technical knowledge accumulated from years of successes and mistakes observed in other producing countries. This could allow for a faster and more precise transition, especially given that India is among the most challenging physiological environments in the world for table grape production, characterized by double-pruning systems, tropical monsoon influence, high temperatures, and frequent heat waves.
Although the 2025/26 season saw a significant reduction in production, long-term prospects for the Indian table grape industry remain highly positive, thanks to new genetics, increasing adoption of technology, precision agriculture, advanced physiological management, and growing access to international know-how. Rather than limiting India’s future growth, this season will likely serve as a catalyst for transformation for an industry that could become one of the most dynamic and competitive players in the global table grape market over the next decade.
*Images are referential | Graphs courtesy of Agronometrics.
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
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