Harvest situation in the Southern Hemisphere, week 12, 2011

Table Grapes

Rains in November and February caused problems for grape conditions, leading to a fall in production estimates from initial season forecasts of 895,500 metric tons (MT).

Following this revision, it is still expected the season will close with volumes of 837,000MT, which is still 5% more than export volumes in the 2009/10 season.

The rainfall mainly affected white Superior grapes with shelling as the major drawback, as well as white Thompson grapes with hairline pockets of botrytis.

The most affected white grape-growing zones were in Chile's IV (Coquimbo) and V (Valparaiso) regions.

Crimson and Red Globe varieties registered higher harvest activity at the end of March, in better condition across all regions. The collection of Autumn Royal grapes has begun in most regions.

Source: iQonsulting/www.freshfruitportal.com