The Chilean table grape season is coming to an end. The dynamic changes in consumer preferences and market demands demonstrated the importance of varietal renewal in staying competitive in the global market. Julio Ruiz-Tagle is the Asia & Americas Manager at the quality service provider D-Quality Survey. He shared with us the production and market status of the current Chilean table grape season and his insight into the global and the Chinese market.
Julio first reviewed the current Peruvian grape season. “This season, Peruvian grapes were exported to more than 50 countries. The United States (32.7 million boxes), the Netherlands (9.2 million boxes), and China (5.8 million boxes) are on the top exporting list with regard to volume. According to the Peruvian customs office information, during the 2022-2023 campaign, the export of Peruvian table grapes surpassed a historical record with over 71.4 million boxes sent to more. This outcome represents a 10% increase compared to the previous period (2021-2022), when 64.9 million 8.2 kg boxes were shipped.”
Julio added: “The seedless white grape varieties topped the list of exported grapes, with a total of 35.1 million boxes shipped, representing 49% of the total exported and a growth of 28%. Sweet Globe, Red Globe, and Autumn Crisp were the main exported varieties.”
Chilean table grape season review
At the moment, the Chilean table grape season is coming to an end, but the last part of the volume is yet to be shipped to various destinations including the United States, China, Europe, and Asia.
The Chilean grape season typically runs from November to March. During this time, Chilean table grape growers and exporters are able to supply the global market with a wide range of high-quality grape varieties that are in high demand. The country's climate and geographical location make it an ideal location for growing grapes, and Chilean table grapes have earned a reputation for being some of the best in the world.
“In the 2021-2022 season, some of the most exported grape varieties during this period were Crimson Seedless with 29,769,828 kg, Thompson Seedless with 33,649,440 kg, and Red Globe with 58,370,412 kg. Other popular varieties included Arra 15 with 14,092,039 kg, Sweet Globe with 14,271,683 kg, and Sweet Celebration with 13,294,386 kg.”
Julio continued: “In the 2022-2023 season, the most exported grape varieties during the December 15th to March 31st period were Crimson Seedless with 34,549,597 kg, Thompson Seedless with 72,685,395 kg, and Red Globe with 51,147,228 kg. Some varieties that experienced significant growth in exports during the same period compared to the 2021-2022 season include Sweet Globe, which increased its exports from 6,378,722 kg to 9,260,239 kg, and AutumnCrisp, which was exported with a total of 3,733,010 kg in the 2021-2022 season but did not make the top exported varieties list during the same period in the 2022-2023 season.”
“These changes in the popularity and growth of grape varieties reflect the dynamic changes in consumer preferences and market demands, and demonstrate the importance of varietal renewal in staying competitive in the global market. The Chilean table grape industry continues to evolve, with new and more exotic grape varieties being introduced each season to satisfy changing consumer preferences and global market demands.”
Market status in China
According to Julio, the quality of Chilean grapes exported to China is carefully monitored and only the best quality grapes are selected for export to this market. In a comparison of the quality of different grape varieties from Chile, it is normal that certain varieties reach a better market performance in China than others.
“So far, the average of defects observed per variety is SWEET GLOBE (Shatter berries: 2.56%, Dry Stem: 26.8%, Water Berries: 1,02%, Decay: 0.58%); THOMPSON (Shatter berries: 1,6%, Dry Stem: 15.44%, Water Berries: 0.45%, Decay: 0.58%); AUTUMN CRISP (Shatter berries: 1.75%, Dry Stem: 19.49%, Water berries: 1.79%, Decay: 0.91%).
In general, the current season has been promising and significantly better than the previous ones, which were plagued with chaos for exporters. “So far, a 25% decrease in volume compared to the previous season has been observed with prices showing an overall increase, especially in the last two weeks,” Julio said. “The average price of the major varieties is THOMPSON: XL 158 RMB / J 178 RMB / SJ 214 RMB, AUTUMN CRISP: XL 170 RMB / J 187 RMB / SJ 202 RMB, RED GLOBE: XL 170 RMB / J 181 RMB / SJ 209 RMB, SWEET GLOBE. XL 188 RMB / J 219 RMB / SJ 225 RMB, CRIMSON: XL 158 RMB / J 172 RMB / SJ 200 RMB.”
D-Quality Survey
Besides quality inspection, D-Quality Survey acts as an official survey company and market research consultants worldwide. by making evaluations and reports for their customers.
“Particularly in China we have a mixed foreign and local staff doing this in Shanghai Huizhan Market and Guangzhou Jiangnan Market, the two main import wholesale markets in China. We provide up-to-date quality statistics and track how many containers were opened or have been sold each day in the market. Also, every day we take videos in the market, and point out what market issues the client is facing. Our customers can access these reports with their APP or on our website. These worldwide commercial reports provide much up-to-date info giving the whole quality-commercial context for each arrival needed by our customers, and they can use this info as a good reference for making their sales decisions.”
“We are committed to delivering the highest quality data and global market insights to our clients. Our services provide them with the necessary information with interactive tools to make informed decisions in their businesses. With our expertise and competitive advantages, we are confident in our ability to meet and exceed our client's expectations.
“Now we have a team of more than 80 people around the world. They are working at the wholesale markets, cold-storage facilities and warehouses every day, so that we are able to inform our customers about their quality and market related questions at any time. In this way, we want to help our customers deal with misunderstandings and increase the trust between them.”
For more information:
D-Quality Survey
Julio Ruiz-Tagle (Asia & Americas Manager)
E-mail: j.ruiztagle@dqualitysurvey.asia
Phone: +56992500021 (Chile Phone)
Website: https://www.dqualitysurvey.com/