As Chile waits for approval from American authorities to export table grapes under a Systems Approach, which would allow exports from the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaiso to be shipped without methyl bromide fumigation, a pilot program for grapes out of the Coquimbo region under the system to Mexico began operating this week.
The program has the purpose of outlining how this system will operate, as well as each of the requirements that must be met by those who want to implement it to send their fruit to the Mexican market.
"The Systems Approach pilot plan for table grapes is undoubtedly great news for this sector, but at the same time, it is a great challenge to start with a new system to certify shipments of grapes to Mexico, because until now it was done by applying fumigation with methyl bromide, which from now on will be replaced by this risk mitigation system called Systems Approach," says Rodrigo Astete, sub-technical director of Chile's Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG).
"This allows the application of independent measures that provide the same phytosanitary security as fumigation. In other words, we will work with independent measures such as the registration of producers, phytosanitary management for the three pests established in this system, inspection at the field level to verify the absence of these pests, and an official inspection, and an additional inspection upon arrival of the fruit in Mexico," adds Astete.
The Systems Approach improves the quality and arrival condition of the fruit while reducing the costs associated with fumigation for Chilean growers.
This pilot will last three months, from January to March, and will only apply to table grapes from the Coquimbo region. "At least for this year, as the idea is to extend it to other areas where it is possible to operate," says Astete.
"We are very happy because this is very good news for table grape growers and exporters in the region. Being able to carry out this Systems Approach pilot plan is very important because it will lay the groundwork for this system to be extended to other areas of the country. Mexico is one of the important markets for our table grape exports, and where we have been losing ground precisely because we have to fumigate the fruit," comments Miguel Canala-Echeverria, general manager for Frutas de Chile.
"We hope that the results will be a success so that this system can be implemented in other regions of the country. Although it is a demanding procedure, we believe that we have the technical and professional capacity of producers and exporting companies to have a good result," he adds.
Members of the industry and exporters see this as a great opportunity to test out the system and see how it could be implemented in other regions of the country, as well as other export markets like the U.S.
Regarding this, José Corral, zone manager of Exportadora Subsole de Coquimbo says, "I think that a pilot program in the region of Coquimbo is a great opportunity, therefore, we have to take it with great responsibility. The world is moving towards more sustainable processes and this is one of them, and it can be the way to unblock the problems that the Systems Approach has had for our grapes destined for the United States. Mexico has given a signal, together with Brazil, that we can have a tool that will benefit consumers and also producers in the region."
According to figures from Frutas de Chile, during the 2022-2023 season, 2,514 tons of table grapes were exported from the Coquimbo Region in Chile to Mexico, reflecting an increase of 21% over the previous year. With the Systems Approach, this volume could have greater growth, since the competitiveness of Chilean grapes would increase, being able to compete on equal terms with other countries that are not obliged to fumigate their fruit.
The main varieties shipped from Coquimbo to Mexico are Red Globe, Thompson Seedless, Arra 15, Ralli Seedless, and Autumn Crisp.
