Agronometrics in Charts: Peruvian Grapes Exports Poised to Reach a Record High this Season

In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, Sarah Ilyas studies the state of the Peruvian grape season. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

The USDA recently published its Peru: Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual Report. According to the findings of the report, grape production in Peru is projected to reach 775,500 metric tons in the 2023/2024 season, spanning from October to September. This forecast indicates a one percent increase in comparison to the preceding year. Additionally, Peruvian grape exports are projected to reach a record 595,000 MT in MY 2023/2024, reflecting a two percent increase compared to the prior year. United States is expected to maintain its position as the primary export market for Peruvian grapes.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Despite an unexpectedly warm winter, heavy rains, political unrest, and the aftermath of Cyclone Yaku in March 2023, Peruvian grape production in the past marketing year displayed remarkable resilience. The southern grape-producing region near Ica remains largely unaffected by ongoing El Niño-related drought conditions. However, the northern region around Piura faced challenges post-harvest, with elevated temperatures causing susceptibility to fungal diseases and impacting fruit weight. The Peruvian government’s El Niño monitoring system anticipates warm conditions persisting into February 2024, with a projected intensity ranging from strong (49%) to moderate (47%).

Due to weather conditions, the harvest season for 2023/2024 started 14 to 20 days early. With innovative technological management, the Piura region is achieving a ‘double harvest’ which means that the harvest will take place in two distinct periods, specifically during the months of March/April and November/December.

A pivotal development for table grape farms in the south (Ica and Arequipa) during 2023/2024 is the introduction of a weekly express service from the Port of Pisco. This service has established a vital link to the United States through transshipment points in Panama (to Savannah, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles), Manzanillo (Mexico), and Vancouver (Canada), as well as northern Europe (Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Amberes, France). The anticipated transit times average 12 days to Philadelphia, 18 days to Mexico, 22 days to Los Angeles, 20 days to Rotterdam and 30 days to Vancouver. This strategic service is expected to result in time and cost savings, eliminating the need for products to transit through Callao, a 50 Km (31 miles) journey taking 12 to 24 hours. This enhancement is expected to positively impact the overall performance and quality of Peruvian table grapes.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.

(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Peru has signed 24 trade agreements with major partners such as the United States, China, and the European Union. Through collaborative efforts with entities like PROVID and SENASA, alongside cooperation with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Peruvian grapes now comply with sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, allowing access to international markets. This season, Peruvian grapes achieved their inaugural entry into the Japanese market. Presently, Peru is actively engaged in initiatives to expand market access to Australia, the Philippines, Chile, and Israel, reflecting a commitment to global trade expansion.

In our ‘In Charts’ series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look at the other articles by clicking here.

All pricing for domestic US produce represents the spot market at Shipping Point (i.e. packing house/climate controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the pricing data represents the spot market at Port of Entry.

You can keep track of the markets daily through Agronometrics, a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that professionals need to access to make informed decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily access these same graphs, or explore the other 21 commodities we currently track.

Witten by Sarah Ilyas