The Chilean table grape industry is undergoing a series of changes and facing new challenges, with the varieties traditionally produced losing market share, the commercial window in the U.S. declining, and production rising from other exporting countries.

All of this is leading the sector to assess the keys to remaining competitive in the future.

In this context, Decofrut, in alliance with Yentzen Group, has published a new report focused on the industry to help growers and exporters better understand what changes are taking place and to enable them be able to make business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the season. 

The Table Grape Season Overview joins the Agroreports portfolio, alongside the Cherry Season Overview, and is being commercialized in English and Spanish through PortalFruticola.com and FreshFruitPortal.com, which provide daily news on the global fruit and vegetable industry. 

The Table Grapes Season Overview 2017-18 will include two harvest updates during the 2018-19 season, along with key data on the development of new varieties and exports from competitor countries like Peru and South Africa.

This season, Chile is forecasting a slight drop in exportable volume down from the 730,000 metric tons (MT) registered last season. At the same time, other major grape-growing countries are increasing production and planted surface area, suggesting that Chile has a big challenge to remain the world's top exporting country.

Manuel José Alcaíno, president of Decofrut, explained that the table grape industry is currently going through a period of significant changes, and that the introduction of new genetics is changing the supply dynamics around the world.

"The window for Southern Hemisphere exporters has been reducing, because an increasing number of Northern Hemisphere producers have late fruit in periods where it wasn't before, and also because they're starting to produce earlier varieties," he said.

"All this means that it is important to learn more in order to better tackle these markets - for Europe, the U.S. and China, and with both domestic and imported fruit."

To view the report, click here. A summary can be downloaded for free.