As the California table grape season winds down, Peruvian imports are arriving to fill the gap left by domestic fruit. Prices are high at the moment, and they will likely stay that way until there's enough South American fruit to meet market demand.
“You'll see a pretty significant increase on Peruvian imports this month,” said Ray England with the D.J. Forry Company. “Peru is where most guys are getting their grapes, and it will be until Chilean fruit arrives at the end of the month or the beginning of January.” Prices have been strong, though not unusually high for this time of year. England explained that it will be a couple of months before there's enough Chilean fruit in the pipeline to compete with Peruvian grapes and bring prices down.
“Prices are in the mid to high 20s for late domestic red varieties and maybe $10.00 more for Peruvian fruit,” said England. “It just costs more for imported fruit, and Peruvian shippers are coming off a high market and selling in a market where there are few domestic supplies. You also have a lot of Christmas demand, and that pressure keeps the market relatively strong.”
