USDA projects huge rebound for Chilean grapes in 2021-2022

Chile’s table grape industry should rebound for the 2021/2022 season, with USDA projecting an increase of 22 percent to 805,000 tons.

USDA based this projection on increased acreage of new grape varieties and a return to normal climate conditions. In January 2021, massive rainfall damaged the table grape crop that was ready for harvest in the central region of the country, specifically in the regions of Valparaíso, Metropolitana, and O’Higgins.

In the 2020/2021 season, exports decreased by 13.1 percent in volume totaling 525,419 tons, attributed mainly to the damage caused by the rain. Table grape exports declined in value by 10.8 percent totaling $826.1 million.

For the 2021/2022 table grape season, USDA projects exports to total 645,000 tons, representing a 22.8 percent increase over the previous season.

The U.S. remains as the main market for Chilean table grapes accounting for 48.5 percent of the exports. However, in 2020/2021, exports dropped by 7.5 percent from the previous year.