Agronometrics in Charts: Peruvian Red Globe Grapes Relinquish Their Position as the Top Exported Grape Variety to Sweet Globe

The ongoing Peruvian table grape season continues to exhibit noteworthy shifts in varietal composition. According to Agraria.pe, the Sweet Globe cultivar has emerged as the most prominent variety exported during this season. The data reveals that a staggering 16 million 18-pound boxes have been shipped thus far, denoting an impressive year-on-year increase of nearly 40% compared to the 11.5 million boxes exported in the previous season of 2021-22. Consequently, Sweet Globe has surpassed the market-dominant Red Globe by a margin exceeding 2 million boxes.

“I have been analyzing the statistics of Peruvian table grape exports since I practiced in Information while studying agronomy more than 20 years ago. For the first time the Red Globe leaves the first place to give it to Sweet Globe,” says Benjamín Cilloniz, General Manager of Exportadora Safco Peru S.A. Autumn Crisp and Allison varieties have also attained high export figures of 6.8 million and 5.9 million boxes respectively in the 2022-23 season.

The occurrence of adverse weather conditions, logistical challenges, and political issues during the latter part of 2022 and early 2023 has resulted in business losses. Safco Peru estimates that approximately 700,000 boxes were forfeited due to blockades in the Ica region in January, while a significant but indeterminate quantity of grapes intended for late harvest in Piura were also compromised due to heavy rainfall over an extended period of more than a month.

Considering these developments, a continued decline in demand is expected for traditional grape varieties, Safco Peru concurrently anticipates  a surge in the popularity of green licensed varieties, primarily driven by the considerable growth of the Autumn Crisp cultivar.

According to the second crop estimate provided by the Peruvian Association of Table Grape Producers and Exporters (Provid) for the 2022-2023 season, it is projected that exports will reach 73 million boxes, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 13%. “It is expected that traditional varieties will continue to decline in the coming seasons while licensed green varieties will continue to increase, driven by a significant growth of Autumn Crisp. As everything in this life is cyclical, it should not be long until the red grapes are the ones that are missing,” predicts Cilloniz.