The Chilean Fruit Exporters’ Association, Asoex, has reported a fall in the nation’s fruit exports during the current 2007/08 season, due primarily to weather-related issues last year.
Up to 18 July, Chile has shipped 2.2m tonnes of fruit overseas, the organisation said, down 4.4 per cent on the same period last season.
Asoex has singled out inclement weather as the major influencing factor, particularly in the avocado trade which was hit severely by frosts in 2007.
So far this season, Chilean fruit exports to the US have fallen by 14.7 per cent to 906,316 tonnes, and shipments to Canada have decreased by 24.6 per cent to 22,253 tonnes.
Volumes distributed in Latin America have also declined by 15.1 per cent to 310,652, Asoex said, while exports to Europe have registered an 11.9 per cent increase to 772,974 tonnes.
Asia-bound shipments have also risen by 1.8 per cent to 187,044 tonnes, plus trade with the Middle East has grown by 11.4 per cent to 103,066 tonnes.
Product-wise, Asoex has reported that Chile’s table grape exports have rebounded following a poor start to the season, increasing by 1.7 per cent in comparison to the same period last year to 813,988 tonnes.
Red and green apple shipments, meanwhile, have contracted by 8.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent in volume respectively, with combined sendings reaching 649,601 tonnes.
Chile’s citrus exports have also fallen against last year’s results, according to Asoex. Lemons have declined by 24.9 per cent to 23,402 tonnes, oranges by 42.4 per cent to 14,8484 tonnes and clementines by 46.7 per cent to 12,523 tonnes.
Conversely, blueberry shipments have grown by 42.3 per cent to 30,120 tonnes, although raspberry volumes have decreased by 46.3 per cent to 2,394 tonnes.
