Sonora table grape producers will harvest 19 million boxes of fruit, which will be sold in the domestic market and abroad, as the product reaches 30 countries worldwide.
The president of the board of directors of the Local Association of Table Grape Producers, Marco Antonio Molina Rodríguez, said in an interview that 15.5 million boxes will be destined for export and 3.5 million for the Mexican market.
He said that there had been a 35 percent drop in production in this harvest season, which takes place in May and June, due to climatic issues, such as lack of cold weather in winter and late cold in February.
The shortage of the product during the current season has had a positive impact on its price.
A box of 15 to20 kilograms of grapes is quoted at 25 dollars, which is a very good price, he said.
Last year, Sonora produced 25 million boxes, 21 million of which were destined for export and four million were sold in the national market.
Sonora mainly exports its table grapes to the United States, but also has a presence in other countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and some countries of South America, such as Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, and El Salvador, among others.
Sonora has 14 thousand hectares planted with table grapes and the main producing regions are the municipalities of Hermosillo, San Miguel de Horcasitas, Caborca and Cajeme, he added.
Source: Notimex