Shipments are estimated at a total aggregate volume of 69 million boxes (8.2 kg), which would mark an 8% drop year-on-year.

Following the announced proposal by the USDA’s APHIS to ease import requirements for Chilean table grapes, authorities and industry leaders from the Latin American country have expressed their support for the proposed change. 

“There were not enough spaces on ships to cover export capacity. Delays in the import of materials caused problems with costs and shortages, due to the increase in freight rates," said Agrokasa's Camila Borgesa.

"As an industry, we need to review where we are, where we are going, and how to get there. This means looking at exciting technological advances, new varieties, and how to protect company secrets, yet at the same time share best practices," said McClarty.

“The key aspect of this Committee is to create a strategy for the Chilean table grape sector to address both the challenges and the opportunities it faces,” said ASOEX.

In the 2021-22 table grape season, countries in the Southern Hemisphere achieved a new export record of 1.5 million tons, an increase of 0.3 million tons in a decade.

A visit was recently made to the current facilities of a cold storage plant in the Pabellon sector in Tierra Amarilla, which will be refurbished to carry out quality control work.

The General Manager of Peru's Table Grape Growers' Association, Alejandro Cabrera Cigarán said the industry would ship a minimum of 70 million boxes in the 2022-23 season, up from 64.8 million boxes in the previous season.

“This year, unfortunately we have had half the sizing we saw last season. We’ve never come across a similar situation,” said AALPUM managing director Juan Alberto Laborin.

South Africa's table grape industry body also said that the increased supply of Peruvian and Chilean grapes remains a "threat" to the country's exports.