It's November, which means the import grape and stone fruit season will commence this month.
Peruvian grapes: This season, it's expected there will be a normal crop in terms of total volume. The original forecast was between 74-76 million boxes this year.
This is a much improved outlook over the 2023 crop from Peru which was a unique one due to the effects of El Nino. "This was especially felt in the north of Peru. The crop was 30-32 percent short, an impact that was seen during November and December last year," says Franco Pruzzo of Summit Produce Inc.
That said, recent reports from Peru indicate that there may be water constraints impacting the size of the crop – specifically the early part of the crop. "There's not much information yet about that because it's ongoing but the crop may be lighter than everyone thinks. It may be 68-69 million boxes total," says Pruzzo, noting that its first arrivals of green and red seedless grapes will be received on November 8th. "That is very normal timing. Last year was pretty early." This year's harvest might be shaping up to be concentrated, particularly in early November through the first weeks of December, from the Piura region.
The quality is expected to be good on Peruvian grapes and Pruzzo says it's anticipated that between 55-60 percent of the crop will be destined for the United States.
Chilean grapes: This season, Chile is expecting 64-66 million boxes of grapes in total. "It's a pretty stable crop. Last year was a very good year for Chilean grape growers but the late part of the season was challenging considering post-marketing order arrivals volume," he says. After all, April and May saw a larger concentration of Chilean grape shipments. "This year we're not expecting such a late crop," says Pruzzo.
In terms of varieties, both Peru and Chile have been growing a larger amount of Autumn Crisp. Retailers' feedback for this variety is optimal, in turn driving sales for the grape category. "The consumption and acceptance are there so we have a lot of confidence, as well for other proprietary green varieties," says Pruzzo. The ratio of greens to red is reaching 3:1, sometimes 4:1, he adds.
As for this import season, California's grape season saw strong demand. Its season is ending in the next two or three weeks and it's been a good season for movement and pricing which bodes well for the import season and raises expectations that it should see similar pricing and movement–especially from December-February.
Chilean stone fruit: To date, Chile has seen good chill hours for its stone fruit crop and it's expecting a strong, stable season. "It's a very mature category. The last four to five years there have been exactly the same volumes. However, this year we might have an increase on nectarines–particularly whites" says Pruzzo, adding that it might be an increase of 10-15 percent more compared to 2023's numbers thanks to some orchards hitting peak maturity this year. For about two to three years now, newer and better varieties have emerged out of Chile, consumers enjoy and the increasing demand strengthens the category during the winter months.
Plums, which will also see between 10-15 percent more volume this season thanks to some new varieties coming into production, are expected to see between 3.2-3.5 million boxes; nectarines will be between 2.4-2.5 million boxes; peaches, which have similar volumes to last year, will be between 1.1-1.2 million boxes; and apricots, a smaller stone fruit item, will be between 150,000-160,000 boxes. (The previous figures represent exports to the United States.)
The timing of fruit from Chile will be slightly later than historical starts by between seven to 10 days and the first arrivals by air for Summit Produce are expected to land by mid-November. Like grapes, California stone fruit has also seen steady movement during its season. "Pricing wise we expect it to be similar to last year," says Pruzzo.
For more information:
Franco Pruzzo
Summit Produce Inc.
Tel: +1 (559) 369-4020
[email protected]
[email protected]
https://www.summitproduceinc.com/