Peruvian table grape exporter Agricola Andrea has said opportunities in the U.S. market are looking up for this coming season due to the industry's superior performance to Chile, but exports to the EU are 'uncertain' due to Russia's import ban. 

Company director Jonathan Geller told www.freshfruitportal.com the amount of time Peruvian grape exporters were able to ship their fruit to the U.S. was increasing, in part due to what he claimed was a higher fruit quality than Chilean producers.

"We are seeing a lot of interest from American retailers in working towards important marketing programs when the Californian supply ends," Geller said.

"It is clear that various Peruvian producers have done a better job in these past few seasons than Chilean producers in terms of fruit quality as well as fulfilling agreements, and this is allowing us to increase what was previously a small commercial window."

Geller said that 'contrary to many people's opinion', Peru's competed most heavily with Californian growers who put their grapes into storage and sold them later in the year, rather than with Chile.

The situation across the Atlantic is nowhere near as positive as European grape exporters are no longer able to ship to Russia, following the produce import ban on the EU, U.S., Australia, Canada, and Norway.

"Europe is worrying us quite a lot due to the projected increase in production this season with the Russian ban. It remains uncertain as to where the roughly 45,000 metric tons that they normally send there will end up," he said.

Agricola Andrea's production in based in the country's southern Ica region, and the first harvest is due to take place in week 44 - around late October.

Geller said the color and vigor of the vegetative growth were some of the best he had witnessed, and fellow growers in the Ica region were seeing a similar trend, which was most likely caused by the high temperatures the area received in May, June and part of July.

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