Seen above are the teleconference Mexico grape association panel members John Pandol, Marco Camou and Juan Laborin.Promotable volumes of Mexican table grapes will be available to retailers beginning in mid-May.
Starting in late May, there will be “five weeks where you will have all three colors, organic and conventional, all available for promotion,” said John Pandol, an industry marketing leader.
According to the Mexican grape industry estimate released by Facebook video conference on the afternoon of March 19, Mexico’s grape crop volume will be 20 percent lower than it was in 2019. This year’s crop will harvest a few days earlier than it was in 2019.
The 2020 Mexican grape crop is estimated to yield 19.7 million cases. The final packout for 2019 was 23.6 million. Of this 3 million case crop, 800,000 boxes are Perlettes. Perlettes are among the earliest-producing Mexican varieties, thus are more mature and vulnerable to contrary winter weather. That held true this winter, Perlette production especially suffered from a freeze and cold. Furthermore, Perlettes have been in declining production in Mexico, giving way to newer, more popular flavorful varieties planted in young vineyards. The projected Perlette production is half of what was packed in Mexico in 2019.
Juan Laborin, AALPUM’s executive director, said some Perlette acreage was pulled out after the freeze this winter. He expects this year’s production will be about what Mexico will produce in Perlettes in the future.
A three-expert panel, representing AALPUM — Mexico’s grape association — broadcasting from Hermosillo, Sonora, expressed little concern about 20 percent drop in overall production.
Pandol noted that a drop in supplies could make this a profitable season. Generally speaking, last year was unprofitable for Mexican grape growers, despite a large, high-quality crop.
The video broadcast was arranged when the originally scheduled annual preseason Mexican grape meeting was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. The meeting was to have been held near Nogales, in Tubac, AZ, for the second consecutive year. Given fears of exposing participants to the international scourge, the key component of the meeting — the important crop estimate — was moved into the sanitary, isolated internet realm.
With Pandol and Laborin on the broadcast was Marco Camou, AALPUM president and a Sonora grower-owner of Carmel Vineyards.
Laborin said that, overall, Mexican grape producers enjoyed good growing weather this spring. But it was a freeze and a couple of rains, with low temperatures, that reduced yields.
The results of the annual industry survey indicate the first volumes of early green Mexican grapes will be shipped in the week of May 18. Retailers on the U.S. East Coast and in Canada should plan on receiving this fruit a few days after initial shipping dates, noted Laborin. Promotable volumes of early green Mexican grapes will wrap up shipping in the week of June 8.
Promotable volumes of Flame shipping from Mexico will commence in the week of May 25 and end in the week of June 22.
Mid-season green grapes will be shipped from June 8 until about July 5.
Promotable volumes of black grapes will have a month-long ride on the market, being shipped from about May 25 until June 28.
Laborin noted that the early green grape volume is expected to be 2.8 million cases in 2020, up 183,000 from 2019. Laborin said there are very few new early green acres this year but there was a lot of new production in 2019.
Increased early green production this year comes despite fewer bunches on vines in the Guaymas area, due to freezing weather.
The bottom line is that combining the volume from Guaymas, Hermosillo and Caborca, there will be plenty of early green Mexican grapes available for retail promotions this spring.
In the red seedless category, for the first time AALPUM’s estimate groups Flames with the new varieties, ARRA 29 and Early Sweet Celebration. “These two new varieties are adding quite a bit” to the red seedless volume, Laborin said. Still, last year Mexico produced 10.7 million boxes of reds. This year, due to the freeze there will be 8.6 million, "which is still a lot of grapes to promote.”
Laborin said that Mexico’s mid-green packout last year slightly exceeded 5 million boxes. The predominant variety in the category, “Sugraone, is not a variety that is very stable,” thus suffered damage this year. So total production this year is expected to be 4.1 million packages. Other “beautiful” Mexican mid-green offerings are Sweet Globes and Ivories.
Summer Royals are the predominant black seedless variety exported from Mexico, with Autumn Royals also available. These will not see a bumper crop production this year, with a drop from 1.9 million to a 2020 level of 1.5 million cases.
AALPUM’s crop estimate includes an “other” category, which includes Cotton Candy, Sweet Sapphire and other unique and trial varieties.
Laborin said that he has remained in close contact with the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and with inspection services of the USDA and Arizona Department of Agriculture to assure there will be adequate grapes inspectors available in Nogales this spring. This challenge has traditionally been smooth, but there is a new concern with Mexico’s tomato industry now undergoing required inspections, commencing April 1.
“I’m pretty sure we’re OK,” on inspector availability, Laborin noted.
In other news, Laborin announced that Mexican grape exporters have attained all required protocols to ship to South Korea this year. Last year the industry obtained such rights to export to Australia, New Zealand and China.
In the March 19 teleconference, Laborin’s dress shirt logo indicated “Mexico Table Grapes.” Previously, AALPUM has been the Sonora table grape association. But a couple of major growers have expanded production to Jalisco and North Baja, causing the organization to broaden its scope. Table grape production in the early- and late-producing states will increase in coming years.
