chile fruit mix

The Chilean fruit export season is developing very positively, with volume up by 7.7 per cent during the 1 January to 16 April period of 2012 compared with the same period last year.

The biggest increases in sendings came from table grapes, plums, avocados, apples, kiwifruit, cherries and nectarines, according to data from the Chilean Office of Agrarian Policy (Odepa) and reported by SIMfruit.

Meanwhile, exports of blueberries, peaches and lemons have shown a contraction in volume compared with last year.

Odepa said the result demonstrates a “dynamic development” of the sector given this season’s obstacles of exchange rates, the rise in salaries, labour shortages, high energy costs and the drought.