Sonora’s 2023 table grape crop estimate up less than 2%
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| 24 March 2023
Overview of grapes from Mexico in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on March 24, 2023.
The 2023 Sonoran table grape export crop is expected to be 1.3% larger than the 2022 crop. Sonora is expected to export 21.7 million cases this year, up from 21.42 million exported in 2022. The deal is late this year, with the first volumes expected to ship from Nogales in Week 22, which is May 29-June 4. Cool weather has delayed grape production. Fruit quality should be very good.
These points are the climatic bottom line of the Mexican Table Grapes Summit, held in Tubac, AZ, March 22. Roughly 100 growers, importers, government officials and allied suppliers attended the meeting, which was held at the Tubac Golf Resort. Because of Covid pandemic disruptions, this was the first face-to-face Sonoran grape industry meeting in three years.
Marco Antonio Camou the president of AALPUM, based in Hermosillo, Sonora, presented the preseason forecast at the meeting. Early green grapes are expected to be up 2.49% in volume this spring, totaling an expected 4.6 million boxes. Last year’s Early Green total was 4.49 million.
The largest volume grape category for Sonora are mid-season greens which are estimated to total 6.5 million boxes. Compared to last season’s 5.83 million, this is an increase of 11.45%.
Mid-season red grapes are expected to be up 7.34% in 2023, reaching 2.7 million, up from 2.52 million in 2022.
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
Camou said Flames will be down 7.27% this year due to a bad set. The estimate is for 6.5 million grapes, while that total in 2022 was 7.01 million. Black grape production is to be down 8.39% in 2023, to 1.2 million compared to 1.31 million in 2022.
Red Globe production in Sonora is generally declining, and the drop will be by 23.38% this year, according to the estimate. There are expected to only be 200,000 boxes, while 2022 produced 261,000 boxes.
Camou cautioned that these estimates will likely change, especially for mid-season varieties. A second estimate will be released April 12.
The earliest grapes this season will be Early Greens and Red Seedless. The Early Greens are expected to ship from Nogales in weeks 22, 23 and 24. Red Seedless will also start in Week 22 but are expected to ship from Nogales until Week 27, which is July 3-9.
Mid-season Greens won’t be shipped from Nogales until Week 24 (June 12-18) and will wrap up in Week 27.
Sonora’s Black grape deal should run from Nogales from Week 23 to Week 25, which encompasses June 5-July 25.
The March 22 grape meeting included various presentations, which will be outlined in subsequent FreshFruitPortal stories.
AALPUM is an acronym for Asociacion Agricola Local de Productores Uva de Mesa. While there has been new grape production in Jalisco in recent years, AALPUM was formed 25 years ago to address the needs of Sonoran producers. Sonora remains the organization’s focus.
Jalisco shippers told FreshFruitPortal their very earliest volume will be shipped about March 25. That fruit quality is very good.
The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.
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