Chile’s grape growers fared better in 2009-10 than in the season before, according to an analysis of returns by fruit growers association Fedefruta, the group said in a news release.

The most successful varieties were Flame Seedless and Red Globe, according to Alfredo García, who leads the analysis service of the group. The return on Flame Seedless was US $1.24 per kilogram, while the cost of production was US $0.83/kg. The return for Red Globe was US $0.94/kg on costs of US $0.78/kg.

For Thompson and Crimson Seedless, net returns were similar to those from the 2008-09 season. The returns for Thompsons were US $0.98 per kilogram, exactly the same as the cost of production. The returns on Crimson were US $0.83/kg, also the same as production costs.

For all varieties, the cost-return ratio was better than the 2008-09 season, when all varieties obtained returns that were less than production costs.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com