Unexpected rains in north-central Chile could have a major impact on the nation’s grape export campaign in Asia.

While official analysis has not yet come out, Fedefruta indicated the April 5 rains between regions IV (Coquimbo) and VII (Maule) could take a toll. The organization was still accessing the impact and more information was expected in coming days.

Concern existed over Red Globe production in Region VI (O’Higgins) which is currently in harvest.

EACHTAKE (China) import manager Juan Pablo Zhang said current Red Globe quality is simply not good enough for Asia. If shipped, he anticipated a high return rate.

“While chemicals can be applied to prevent fungus, the grape quality will not be the same as shipments before the rains and it will be notable. We don’t know if the rains will continue and if they are like this, there will be a lot of fruit lost,” Zhang told www.freshfruitportal.com.

“For seedless grapes like Crimson and Autumn Royal, these rain will affect their quality without a doubt. I don’t think these shipments will arrive to Asia and they’ll have to be sold in Latin America.”

Uva Nova President Carolina Cruz said the rains surpassed expectations.

“We have heard reports from the Valparaiso Region that rains began at 2 p.m. In some sectors, 10 mm have fallen and hail has even hit the foothills. What worries us the most right now is that in Aconcagua, they are still harvesting Red Globe and Crimson,” she said.

“We know Red Globe is weaker and less resistant to rains than Crimson.”

Cruz said rot at plant bases had been observed over the weekend, due to high moisture.

“This is a very complex situation. The most likely thing is that we will have fungal damage, like botrytis and sour rot. But a lot will depend on the post rain conditions,” Cruz said.

She indicated the Red Globe harvest had been about half way done.

“Producers are silent right now. No one expected such intense rains. We were prepared for what had been announced, which wasn’t more than a millimeter of rain,” Cruz said.

“Now we’ll need to start venting, apply chemical support, and observe how the grapes that are still in the orchard evolve.”

www.freshfruitportal.com