Organic fresh fruits – and in particular organic blueberries – were one of the key product categories highlighted byChileat the Biofach and Fruit Logistica trade shows this month.
According to Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, certification is increasing every year and organics account for around 10 per cent of Chile’s blueberry output this season.
He believes exports to Europe could grow over the coming seasons thanks to increasing interest from consumers, exporters and producers, as well as the recent signing of an agreement between the European Union and Chile harmonising organic certifications.
This was one of the principal messages conveyed during the first participation of the CBC at Biofach 2018. This followed its presence at Fruit Logistica 2018 earlier in the month, which also served to highlight the growth of Chilean fresh fruit exports to Europe.
Conventional Chilean blueberries have performed strongly in Europe over recent seasons and the Committee believes there is significant potential for boosting sales of higher value categories, such as organics, in European markets.
“Over 25 per cent of Chilean blueberry exports come to Europe and one of the markets where we see a lot of opportunities is organics,” said Armstrong.
“Organic certification has been growing in Chile and our growers and exporters see a lot of potential, especially as Chile and the EU now have an agreement recognising Chilean organic certification. This is an important factorfor further facilitating the export of organic blueberries to Europe.”
Diego Torres, Director of ProChile in Germany, commented that both Biofach 2018 and Fruit Logistica 2018 had been important occasions for showcasing the country’s products in the German market itself.
“The German market is an important and quite unique market,” he said. “Between 2016 and 2017,exports in terms of value of fresh fruits from Chile have grown by around 80 per cent.
“Additionally, Germany is an important direct consumer of organic fruits and this is why for the last two years and again this year, ProChile, together with exporting companies, has been present at Biofach, the international fair for organic foods.”
