Chile is on course to export 812,000 tonnes of apples and 134,000 tonnes of pears during 2011/12, translating into increases of 2 per cent for each category over last season.
The forecast marks a slight growth on the 794,452 tonnes of apples and 131,679 tonnes of pears shipped in 2010/11, according to Chile-based analyst Decofrut.
The campaign is already progressing at a “swift rate”, Decofrut said, given that the Packham’s pear and Gala apple harvests have already ended in week 7 and week 8 respectively.
So far this season, Decofrut said pear exports, mainly destined for Latin America and Europe, have totalled 23,000 tonnes, while apple sendings, mostly targeted at Latin America, have reached 25,000 tonnes.
This season Decofrut expects exports to follow a similar trend to 2010/11 with fewer apples headed for Europe as more volume heads to the Middle East and Asia.
India in particular is proving to be a strong Asian market, since imports have risen from 9,000 tonnes in 2008/09 to 25,000 tonnes in 2010/11.
In the pear category, Decofrut predicts that Latin America may slightly exceed Europe in terms of arrivals from Chile given the large stocks of local pears on the European market.
As a result, suppliers are expected to divert their volume to alternative markets, particularly at the start of the season when returns will be lower in Europe.
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