The 2022-23 Peruvian table grape campaign is continuing to show signs of varietal reconversion, with Sweet Globe taking the throne as the most exported cultivar this season, Agraria.pe reports.
With over 16 million 18-pound boxes shipped to date and an almost 40% increase year-on-year from 11.5 million boxes exported in 2021-22, Sweet Globe surpassed the market staple Red Globe by over 2 million boxes.
The Autumn Crisp and Allison cultivars follow, with 6.8 and 5.9 million boxes exported respectively for the 2022-23 campaign.
According to Benjamín Cillóniz, general manager of agro exporter company Safco Peru, this is the first time in 20 years that the Red Globe loses its crown, with market trends now pointing to a rise in white seedless varieties.
Additionally, climate, logistic and political issues in late 2022 and early 2023 caused some of the late deals to be lost.
"I estimate that some 700,000 boxes were lost due to the blockades in Ica during January and another significant amount -more difficult to estimate- of what was going to be the late harvest in Piura, due to the heavy rains that have been falling in the region for more than a month now," Cillóniz said.
The executive also said that he expects traditional varieties to continue a downward trend, while green licensed varieties are projected to continue to rise “boosted by a major growth in the Autumn Crisp cultivar”.
The Peruvian Association of Table Grape Producers and Exporters’ (Provid) second crop estimate for the 2022-2023 season projects exports at 73 million boxes, a 13% increase year-on-year.
