Peru table grape exports hit $790m in H1 2026

Peru's table grape exports hit $790 million in the first half of 2026, up 17.1% on the year, as the country locks in a third straight season as the world's top shipper.

The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) said the sector shipped 706,379 tons to 53 countries in the 2025-26 campaign, keeping Peru's table grape exports ahead of Chile, the United States and Italy. The full campaign closed at 86.4 million boxes, up 4% on the prior season and 37% above 2023-24.

The United States remains the anchor market for Peruvian table grape exports, buying $446 million in the first half, up 11.3%. Mexico is the fastest mover: purchases rose 46% to $93.7 million. Two new markets, Israel and Taiwan, added a combined $30.9 million.

Peru's grape growers are betting on quality exactly when the weather turns uncertain.

Table grape exports break records

Behind the volume growth sits a variety shift. Licensed varieties now account for 87% of shipments. Autumn Crisp, a white seedless grape, gained 26% in planted area and 33% in export value. Red Globe, the old workhorse variety, lost 29% of its area and 22% of its export value.

"The trend is clearly toward licensed varieties," said Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Provid, the table grape producers' association, pointing to Autumn Crisp's gains as evidence growers are betting on quality over volume.

The 2025-26 campaign's FOB value reached $2,072 million, up just 1% despite the box growth, a gap that points to softer average prices even as shipments climb. Ica and Piura account for 86% of the certified growing area.

El Niño clouds next harvest

Provid now projects 82.65 million boxes for the 2026-27 campaign, a 5% drop from the season just closed. The association blames El Niño, already squeezing Peru's blueberry exports this year, which is pushing grape harvest dates 7 to 15 days earlier than normal and cutting productivity even on expanded acreage.

The pattern has a precedent. El Niño cut national grape output 13% in 2017-18 and 12% in 2023-24, with northern growing regions losing 38% and 30% respectively in those years. Growers elsewhere face the same squeeze: Rioja brought in Spain's earliest grape harvest on record this year, also blaming heat. Provid says its estimate could still shift as the season develops.

Peru's grape season traditionally runs from late October through April, so the scale of any El Niño damage to the new crop will not be clear until shipments resume this winter.