The 2023 grape crop in Argentina was in full swing last month and is now about to wind up. The San Juan region has already finished harvesting and picking in the main producing area of Mendoza will end this week. The 2023 campaign was shorter than usual.
Production is expected to cut back by 21% due to a damaging freeze in November 2022 this is impacting the juice processing industry who are finding it difficult to compete for fruit with the fresh market and wine industry. Processors say the ARS/USD exchange rate is making Argentina an expensive choice for Grape Juice and a devaluation is not foreseen at least until the elections there (August and then October).
As a result, Argentina will pack much less juice with an estimated 60,000 MT in 2023 – half of the typical export volume. Argentina exported 4,270 MT of grape juice concentrate to the global market in January-February 2023, compared with 9,870 MT during the same period in 2022.
Making sales has been difficult say producers in Argentina, who are trying to compete with grape juice producers in Europe and the natural sweetener producers, which includes apple juice concentrate.
