Harvest conditions in the Southern Hemisphere, week 41

Table grapes

In Chile, the spring remains cold in all the production zones, which has led to slow vine growth and has complicated the thinning. In Region III, in the north, a delay of 10 days is estimated, compared with a normal year, which would mean starting the harvest on the same date as last season. From Region IV and south, a similar delay has been seen. The estimate for Chilean table grape exports remains at 894,000 tons.

The cases are different in Brazil and South Africa, which are reporting several problems, especially with varities of seedless white grapes, which could diminish export potential.

In the case of South Africa, Sugraone is one of the varieties that will not meet its potentical because the number of bunches per plant is less than expected in the Orange River area. In general, the harvest is expected to be slightly earlier than last season by three to five days.

In Brazil, the yield per hectare of Festival and Thompson S will not meet expectations. Volumes appear to be very variable depending on the orchard, which could diminish the export supply this season. For its part, Crimson S from the San Francisco Valley appears to have good color within expectations.

In Peru, the harvest of Red Globe in Piura, in the northwest, started in week 40, although with low volumes, and already has sent its first shipments. The weather in general has been good, although with lower temperatures than usual in the area. The export expectations remain around 88,000 tons for Peru.

In Argentina, the development of the season appears to be without problems, although like Peru and Chile, the temperatures in San Juan in the northwest have been colder, which would delay the season for about a week.

Source: iQonsulting/www.freshfruitportal.com