Market Update for Table Grapes
Week of April 22 – April 28
Since last September supplies of table grapes in the U.S. have not been sufficient to meet industry needs and FOBs have held at historically high levels. Over the past two weeks, a combination of tempered retail demand and increased volumes from Chile and Mexico have finally stabilized the market. Due to compressed Chilean bulk vessel scheduling week 15, we will see 3.7 million boxes arrive at the end of the month. This volume should help the industry make a less stressful transition to Mexican supplies in May and keep the spot market for the best quality fruit stable, albeit still high in comparison to many past seasons.
Red Seedless
Red seedless spot pricing has stayed elevated ranging from $36.00 to as high as $42.00 for the very best wholesale box, with some retail programs set between lower. We saw a sharp decline from Chile week 14, but that was followed by a surprising 1.7 million boxes loaded week 15. Mexico is still not expected to have any significant volumes of red grapes until 25th of May, so Chilean growers are counting on their quality to get them through the next 4 weeks. The good news is that there is finally enough fruit in the coolers and on water to keep the industry from possibly gapping.
Green Seedless
We have seen the heaviest arrivals of Chilean green seedless over the past two weeks, with most of that fruit consisting of new proprietary varieties. It’s taken more than three years for new plantings of Autumn Crisp and Sweet Globes to impact the market, but that volume is now something we should see consistently in April and May. There is still a wide range of quality and condition, so the spot market also has a big spread. Mexican volumes of Sweet Globes and Autumn Crisp from Jalisco have taken some market share, so Chilean importers are not taking the market for granted and will look to keep fruit moving. Pricing should range from $34.00 to $36.00 for Thompsons, $36.00 to $38.00 for good quality Sweet Globes and $42.00 to $44.00 for Autumn Crisp.