Chilean grape sendings into the UK this season to May 29 are up on last season by 26 per cent. According to figures released this week by The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, Thompson Seedless volumes are up by 16.7 per cent to 29,640t in 2005-06. And Crimson Seedless sendings are up by 23 per cent to 20,788t. Sugraone and Flame Seedless also saw sendings almost double while Red Globe continued to decline.
The increase in Crimson exports is largely a result of a strategic growth plan on the part of growers to increase new plantings of the variety and use it to close gaps in availability. “Crimson Seedless is a hardy product which performs well post harvest and has good storage capabilities,” explained Neil Denny of importer Richard Hochfeld. “Traditionally, there has always been a gap at the end of the southern hemisphere season in red seedless before supply from the northern hemisphere starts. But this year for the first time because of the increase in Crimson Seedless we are able to store fruit to dovetail with first arrivals of Flame from Egypt.”
Another variety on the up for a similar reason is black seedless Autumn Royal. It also has good storage capabilities and the aim is to store across the natural gaps in the season in order to provide continuity. Volumes imported into the UK from Chile have risen from four tonnes in 2002-03 to 809t this season.
The increase in Thompson Seedless supply to the UK is less to do with increased plantings and more with the global currency situation: with sterling relatively strong against the dollar and the euro, it has been the market of choice for senders.
However there have issues with fruit condition due to frosts early in the growing period and rains later on, said Denny. “But the problems are just representative of condition this year and are not indicative of any shift in overall quality,” he said.
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