The loss of 25 million boxes was felt by international importers, especially by some Asian clients experiencing lower volume and difficulty guaranteeing the quality of the fruit arriving at port. However, there are exceptions.
No official communications from either government have confirmed approval for the new protocol, putting producers and exporters, who had prepared for a season with this new mechanism, in a complex situation.
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.
The São Francisco Valley accounts for 95% of all Brazilian grapes produced for export, but the valley has only five agricultural inspectors to analyze and release the product.
With approximately 30% of the crop harvested when the hurricane hit, it is projected that 35% of the remaining crop – 25 million boxes – has been lost.
Table grape export volumes increased by 20,000 tons to more than 130,000 tons – worth more than $570 million – lower than the industry’s pre-Covid peak, but an improvement on the past two seasons.
The facility will be functional early this summer, offering IFG’s research and development team more than ten times the size of its current lab.
Ian LeMay, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association will become President & CEO of the California Table Grape Commission in the spring of 2025.
The collaboration agreement will bring more than 3 million boxes of Mexico-grown table grapes to market, supplying South American products during the months of Dec.-May with Sun World’s premium green seedless.
Weeks ahead of the season’s first South African grape exports, South Africa’s table grape industry released a strong statement on Sept. 22. The indication is that its growers are ready for a much better season than the last.
