T&G Global has begun its second commercial harvest of table grapes in Peru.
Picking and packing of early green varieties Ivory and Sugraone got underway late last month, with the second harvest wave (Autumn Crisp and Crimson) set to begin next week.
Sarah McCormack, executive general manager international at T&G Global, decribed the colour and consistency of the grapes shipped so far as “excellent.”
“We’ve packed 20,000 cartons with a 96.2 per cent pack out,” she explained.“Projections are that the total crop will be around 220,000 cartons, which we’re really pleased with given this is just our second commercial harvest from Peru.”
T&G currently owns 340ha of land in Peru, with 136ha planted to table grapes in the Piura region of Peru. A small volume of grapes was harvested by T&G in 2016 but extensive flooding last year severely impacted crops.
The majority of this season’s crop will be shipped to Europe instead of the US, as domestic volumes of table grapes remain high across the North American nation.
“The US still has around 50 per cent of its domestic crop to sell and that volume is not predicted to clear until late December or early January,” McCormack added.
“We are also receiving good pre-order demand for Peruvian crimson seedless and red globe table grape varieties in China as the China/US tariff issues continue.”
