Exports of Chilean table grapes have started and it is important to know the industry's current state. Freshfruitportal.com spoke with the president of Uvanova, agronomist, and consultant Rafael Rodríguez, who said that “the fruit, in general, is well and healthy”.

He added that the harvests have already begun in the Atacama region “and in general, production areas are following their natural order.”

This year, Chile got the approval to export table grapes to the U.S. market under the Systems Approach, sending more than 8,000 boxes of the fruit from the Atacama region under this new protocol.

This replaces fumigation of the fruit with a process of inspection at origin, giving Chilean fruit production competitive advantages. Rodriguez said, “It is moving forward, and it is working.”

Asked about the current situation in the rest of the country, the leader of Uvanova said that loads from the Valparaiso region to the south are tighter, especially in traditional varieties.

Another positive aspect that the industry is experiencing is related to water resources, since “the water supply throughout the country is sufficient and in the regions where it has been deficient it has been positive during the season,” said Rodriguez.

He added that “in general we are seeing a good production condition, particularly during flowering, a stage that marks the future condition of the fruit”.

“We are confident that we are going to have a good fruit condition, the foliage has been good, with cooler springs in the central-southern zone, which is doing the plants well,” he said.

Markets

Analyzing the markets, Rodriguez was clear in saying that they are expectant with the U.S. market, although California resumed its volumes this year, the heat wave suffered in June, caused the fruit to come forward and the final volume ended up somewhat lower than projected. “Maybe something under 90 million,” he noted.

Regarding stocks to date, he went on to say that they are very similar to last year at the same date, “so the market is very demanding, it is undersupplied and it is a good opportunity for fruit from northern Peru, to complement the guard fruit from the United States”.

As for Chile, he pointed out that the country “will be arriving to the market with a moment of high demand and it will be good for the beginning of our season”.

On the other hand, in Europe, local fruit stocks are also low, “so the market is demanding and with prices higher than historical. This is being taken advantage of by Peru, somewhat by Brazil, and South Africa and it will be a good opportunity for Chile”.

Rodriguez added that, at the end of the year, the United States and Europe are maintaining a very good consumption of table grapes, together with better prices.

He added, “we are expecting the transition from Ica grapes to Chilean fruit, of course, Ica comes with good volume, higher than last year, so we hope that the good quality of the fruit will keep the markets demanding and prices sustained for the production of both countries”.

He said that “it is a good opportunity to consolidate Chile as an important supplier, with good quality fruit, consistent, hand in hand with improvements in harvesting and post-harvest practices. This, added to what we can do under the Systems Approach both in the United States and Mexico, will serve to have a better condition of fruit, and will improve the sale of fruit both in volume and price”.

He explained that this season more than two-thirds of Chilean grapes are licensed varieties “and it is much more attractive for our customers to have Chilean fruit”.

Challenges for Chilean Table Grapes

The president of Uvanova stated that it is important to develop better maturity indexes, “to understand that the different varieties in different eco-zones and that they have to face different travel times, must find an optimum point of maturity for each case and ensure a good consumption experience and a good condition of arrival fruit”.

He explained that Chile has to continue working on improvements in harvesting and post-harvest techniques and processes.

He concluded by saying that “thirdly, it is important to keep the compass very firm in terms of packing the quality that each market expects and deserves, to work very well on volume estimates, to keep our customers well informed so as not to have surprises that can ruin markets that may be doing well by sending excess volumes”.