The table grape campaign in Peru for the 2024-2025 season has started as expected, with a return to the usual harvest dates.

According to Benjamín Cillóniz, General Manager of Exportadora Safco Perú, "Peru's last season was four weeks ahead of schedule, which caused a significant decrease in box volume, especially in the north of the country. Therefore, comparing this season with 2023-2024 can be misleading. Technically, we are experiencing a relative decline, but this is due to last year's early start."

However, he anticipates that this season's production will exceed the 64 million boxes compared to the previous season.

"It’s almost certain. By now, the bulk of the 21 million boxes shipped, according to data I downloaded on November 25, come from the north, as expected. The big question is whether the north will be able to repeat the 33 million boxes from the 2022-2023 season and how long will the high volumes remain" he warns.

Benjamín Cillóniz, General Manager of Exportadora Safco Perú

When looking at the Ica region, Cillóniz explains that a significant increase is expected in the coming weeks. "Ica is just getting started, and we should exceed a million boxes per week starting in week 50. This region typically has a peak that has been extending, and we could have around eight weeks with over three million boxes per week. This year, we may even see a week that exceeds four million," he says.

"Overall, all of Peru has had just one week with more than five million boxes, which was week 52 in the 2022-2023 campaign," he pointed out.

For the export market, Cillóniz notes active demand, particularly in Europe and the United States.

"Europe is performing better than last year, and this is reflected in the volume currently being shipped to that destination. On the other hand, the Chinese market is very weak, as expected, due to the less favorable results of last season and the strong competition from the 120 million boxes of cherries Chile may ship this year (compared to around 80 million last season)," he analyzes.

However, he clarifies that the United States remains the key market for Peruvian grapes.

"The weekly harvest distribution and good quality that characterizes Peruvian grapes allows us to maintain reasonably good prices in the market, which is really important. The estimate presented by Provid suggests 78 million boxes for this season. We are still about 12 weeks into our season, which lasts around 30 weeks, and there is uncertainty about the impact of the drought in the north on this season's fruit. We just need to wait about three more weeks to have a clearer picture," he adds.

The Impermanence of Things

This year, the water shortage affected Piura more than Ica. "Piura mainly depends on rainwater, while Ica relies on groundwater, which doesn't fluctuate as much in the short term. Although the Ica aquifer faces a long-term challenge, there are solutions right around the corner that, inexplicably, still haven't been implemented," he says.

For Cillóniz, the delay in managing water resources in this region represents "a resounding failure of the industry as a whole." The agro-industrial expert highlights Ica's potential: "Without fear of being wrong, Ica is the best place in the world to produce table grapes and probably other crops as well. The water crisis in the north should serve as a wake-up call to better manage water in the various valleys along the coast."

In addition to the water issue, Cillóniz points out a logistical problem. "The potential shortage of refrigerated containers is a major issue. The logistics chain is not easy to understand, but today we have the ports we never had before, and yet there aren't enough available containers for the volume Peru is exporting," he says.