After a challenging 2013/14 season, Chilean table grape exports have bounced back over the 2014/15 summer, much to the delight of importers in Asian and North American markets.
According to a report from iQonsulting, 8,100 tonnes have been sent to the Japanese market so far this season (up to week 12), a 12 per cent increase on the corresponding period of 2013/14. Total Japanese shipments are forecast to hit 11,000 tonnes this season, short of the record 12,204 tonnes exported in 2012/13.
Sings are also positive in the key Chinese/Hong Kong market, with iQonsulting suggesting Chilean exports are likely to hit 95,000 tonnes for the season, comparable to the 2012/13 volume.
Around 47,500 tonnes are expected to be exported to South Korea, Chile’s second largest market in Asia, where import volumes have remained between 47,000 and 49,000 tonnes over the last four seasons. The volume available to the South Korean market is likely to depend on demand from the US market, which has already registered shipments of 47,500 tonnes, the most of any country this season.
The Chilean harvest got underway in late November, a week earlier than traditional start dates. Reports from iQonsulting have suggested that quality is much better than in 2013/14, when much of the early crop was affected by the September 2013 freeze.
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