High grape supplies increase pressure on global market prices

The global table grape market is seeing high supplies in early September as seasons overlap across several producing countries, putting pressure on prices. In Europe, grapes from Italy and Spain are entering the market in significant volumes, while Portugal’s harvest is expected to start around two weeks earlier than usual.

In Italy, the quality of the new crop is reported to be high, although demand remains uneven due to competition from other seasonal fruit and supplies from Spain and Egypt. In Greece, abundant supplies and competition from Italy, Spain, North Macedonia and Turkey have pushed producer prices down to around €0.70/kg. At the same time, Greek grape exports have declined by 28%.

In Germany and Belgium, the season is gradually gaining momentum, with demand for seedless varieties in particular increasing. In France, demand has started to recover after weak sales in August, while the Spanish market remains under pressure due to overlapping supplies from different origins and a seasonal decline in consumption.

Supplies are also high in the United States. In California, harvesting is running ahead of shipments, while early ripening has resulted in several varieties entering the market simultaneously and increasing available volumes. As a result, the season could finish earlier than usual.

Global supplies are expected to remain substantial in the near term as Peru expands its export window and South Africa prepares for the start of its new season. Further price dynamics will depend on how quickly European supplies decline and consumer demand recovers in major markets.

Tags: EU, prices, global market, grapes