In Chile, producers of grapes and blueberries are worried that their exports are at the mercy of what happens in the commercial dispute between the United States and China, but they are also worried due to changes in Peru's production.
According to the newspaper El Mercurio, Francisco Pretel, the general manager of Agrocomercial Valle Arriba, stated that the tariff increases between the United States and China had affected table grape shipments.
According to calculations by iQonsulting, the new varieties of table grapes will account for 15% of the Chilean offer this season, an important jump if one considers that three years ago they only accounted for 3.6%; however, the market they will face this season will be complicated.
The US domestic market is estimated to have the capacity to consume 3 million boxes of table grapes per week. Since the Californian table grape harvest will end in a few weeks, the volumes will dwindle further down the road.
This news crossed borders and Peruvian producers of early varieties, that is, from the area of Piura, are avoiding the North American market while waiting for California's stock to decrease.
"What we projected several years ago is taking place this season. Peru has to extend its season to wait for a lower volume of grapes in the United States. Thus, their offer will overlap with the Chilean offer and will enter to compete in Europe, which will also affect South African exports. We are going to have a good amount of table grapes in the markets in January and February," said Oscar Salgado, a fruit marketer in Europe.
Blueberries
On the external front, the fresh-blueberry business is giving clear signals to Peru and Chile.
"The presence of Peru is a reality in the main markets, the available information indicates that season is peaking. We still have to see what our northern neighbor's final export volume will be," stated Sebastian Carmona, the general manager of Carsol.
The executive, however, said that the Chilean season's slow start was positive, as it would "allows us to generate a better space in the target markets. We are optimistic about the season that is starting."
Source: gestion.pe
