Peru's problem is that it's main volume is not of seedless grape.
The news that Argentina reached an agreement for the export of fresh table grapes to the People's Republic of China is very positive for this sector of the wine industry that has stagnated in recent years, to the point that exports amounted to 13,000 tons, a poor figure when compared to the potential the industry has because of the climate in the area. In addition, there has been little investment in grapevines, new varieties, and packaging technology.
Argentina will aim to capture part of a market that has a growing demand and that is currently being supplied by a few providers. Last year China imported 216,000 tons of table grapes worth 586 million dollars. By volume, the main suppliers were Chile (42%), Peru (34%), United States (10%) and Australia (7%).
Peru's projections look good as they expected there will be a 10% increase in domestic production over the previous year. Given that 70% of the production in Peru is of Red Globe, growth is projected in seedless grapes. Peru's seedless varieties will grow by about 30%, but when the seedless varieties are joined by the Red Globe the estimated growth amounts to 10%.
The growth of the new varieties will take place in the next 5 years and the future is the seedless grapes. The main export markets for Peruvian table grapes, the United States and Europe, require seedless varieties. The country expects to increase its seedless offer with varieties of Sunworld, such as Midnight Beauty, Scarlota Seedless, and Sable Seedless. Regarding the opening of new markets, he said that Japan's case was similar to that of Korea, a little complicated at the beginning due to phytosanitary issues, but that it was a good market that can be targeted.
Peru's main problem is that the seedless grape is still not its main volume. Additionally, not all of their grapes fare as well as the seedless when transported. Expectations are that the new varieties will allow exporters to target more distant and large markets, such as the Asian ones. Peru has already begun to market some new varieties, but in small volumes. While the end of the Peruvian season intersects with the start of the Chilean season, in December Peru is alone in the market. Initial prices depends on whether Chile is in the market and on the US market and how Europe is faring with other origins.
Last year was very favorable for the Peruvian table grapes in the United States. Expectations for this year's prices are not very optimistic, but producers expect the window will favor them. The expectation for the coming years for Peru's table grape is that the production volumes of seedless varieties will grow while the Red Globe decreases. Peruvian table grapes have a fairly large growth potential, and Peru is expected to almost double its production in the next 3 or 4 years. The replacement for seedless varieties of the Autumn Crisp and Adora Seedless brands, of the Sugrathirtyfive and Sugrathirtyfour varieties, respectively, is strong.
Source: diariodecuyo.com.ar