Table grape import boost requested to assist Chile

Table grape import boost requested to assist Chile    A coalition of Delaware River port companies and labor unions petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday to suspend for up to 20 days in April the restrictions on all table grapes imported from Chile and to clarify that Crimson seedless variety grapes will be exempted from those restrictions this year.
   The petition, organized by the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, asks for a 10- to 20-day suspension from April 10 to April 30 of Table Grape Regulation 4, which annually limits the import of Chilean grapes after April 10. The April 30 date would coincide with a restriction data regularly used in years past.
   The coalition has requested the petition on 'humanitarian grounds,' noting that the Feb. 27 earthquake that rocked Chile damaged port facilities and transportation infrastructure needed to transport the grape harvest.
   Given the disruption in the Chilean harvest and shipments, Chile will lose the ability to distribute its crop — the voyage from Chile to the United States, according to the coalition, is 10 to 14 days without temporary suspension of the import regulations. The Chilean industry estimates that 10 to 20 days of its harvest season will be delayed or lost.
   Prior to the earthquake, Chile's grape harvest was much smaller than last year due to adverse weather conditions, leaving fruit in short supply and higher-than-normal prices for consumers.
   Meanwhile, table grape crops from Mexico and Southern California are expected to arrive six to 12 days later than normal, leaving the Chilean grapes as the only widely available variety of seedless grapes to fill the gap in April, the coalition warned.
   Three of the largest coalition members are the ports of Philadelphia, Gloucester and Wilmington. 'The fact that all three ports, which compete with each other, are in agreement on this matter shows how important the topic really is,' said Richard Maldonado, executive director of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.
   In addition to the humanitarian benefits, the coalition said the request would offer U.S. consumers lower prices and a larger supply of grapes. U.S. grape consumption has doubled in the past 20 years, reaching a per capita consumption of eight pounds a year.
   Similarly the petition, if approved, would provide a needed boost in cargo volumes at the three ports. About 65 percent of all fruit shipments from Chile enter the United States through the Delaware River ports.