Newsletter 119 – 19.07.2021
During the last 10 years the table grape industry showed great dynamism in the varietal issue. Countless new patented varieties emerged. The southern exporters were fully committed to planting and testing them. Currently this effort is paying off. In exports, the traditional ones are in second place and within the new ones, it is beginning to emerge which ones are more popular.
The success of fresh grape trade was thanks to the seedless varieties, which resist long journeys and storage in chambers. Within the white grapes the main variety was Seedless Thompson, followed by Sugraone, Imperial, Regal, Prime, etc. Of red grapes the most important ones were Flame, Crimson and Sunred. In black grapes the progress of seedless varieties was more paused. Black grapes already have a low participation in world trade. The exception of this seedless world is the Red Globe, which maintains a very active trade despite having seeds. 10 years ago the southern countries exported traditional varieties. For example Chile and South Africa with a strong contribution of Thompson and Flame, Argentina with Imperial, Perú exporting mostly Red Globe. But this has changed drastically. In few occasions the change towards new patented genetics was as sharp as in the southern producers of table grapes. Currently the share of classic varieties fell sharply. In the season that has just ended, the share of these was 60% in Chile, 50% in Peru, and in South Africa it dropped to almost a third.
Currently the offer of varieties of Chile, Peú and South Africa has expanded enormously and there are countless new varieties of different colors of grapes. It is still unknown which of these will be the most successful, although some guidelines are already in sight. For example, within the classic ones, the greatest drop was for the Thompson and Flame, while the Crimson continues to be one of the most exported varieties. Among the patented ones, there are some that are among the first places in the 3 countries: in red grapes Sweet Celebration and Allison; in white grapes Sweet Globe and Arra 15.
Chile: although the classic varieties still dominate, the new ones are gaining ground. Among these, the red ones stand out, which have the highest participation in exports; Sweet Celebration, Timco and Allison. The only patented white variety that ranks 10th is Arra 15.
Peru: 10 years ago 75% of the Peruvian exports were Red Globe. A strong varietal change was carried out and therefore, currently only a third is Red Globe, 20% are other classic varieties (Crimson, Sugraone) and the other half are patented varieties. Within these the Sweet Globe stands out, which became the second most exported variety of Peru. In addition, unlike in Chile and South Africa, in Peru, within the new varieties, whites are the ones with the highest participation. Along with Sweet Globe, there is the Timpson, Ivory, Arra 15, and Sugar Crips. Among the red ones, the Sweet Celebration, Allison and Jack's Salute stand out.
South Africa: it is the country that made the most progress in patented grapes. Currently just over a third are classic varieties, within these the Crimson, Prime and Thompson stand out. Among the patented ones, the reds stands out; Scarlotta, Tawny, Sweet Celebration, Allison, Starlight, Ralli, etc. The whites are in second place with Autumn Crips, Sweet Globe, Early Sweet and Arra 15. In South Africa some black also appear among the main ones, such as Mignight Beatuy, Sable, Sweet Joy, Adora, Melody and Sweet Sapphire.
