The U.S. imported higher volumes of table grapes in the first quarter of 2018.
Imports amounted to 317,000 metric tons (MT) of grapes between January and March, compared to 303,000MT last year. Exports from Chile – the main supplier – saw 3% year-on-year drop to 235,000MT, bringing it on par with 2016.
Peru, meanwhile, had an export increase of 33% from 61,000MT to 81,000MT. While the U.S.’s imports of grapes rose by only 5%, the FOB value of the shipments jumped by 12% to US$853 million.
The value of Chile’s exports remained almost unchanged between 2017 and 2018.
Exports of South African table grapes to the U.S. have been steadily rising but remain low, growing to 1,226MT over the last three years.
Brazil also jumped from no exports in 2016 to 225MT this year.