Chile shipped some 113,241 tonnes of pears and 571,471 tonnes of apples up to week 31 of 2009, down by 5.5 per cent and 12 per cent respectively on the 2007/08 season, according to data from the Chilean Fruit Industry Market Intelligence System (Simfruit).
Average prices fell in most of Chile’s main markets in comparison to last season in response to the contraction in demand.
Europe absorbed some 55 per cent of the pear crop, Simfruit said, followed by Latin America (26.9 per cent), the US (13.7 per cent), the Middle East (3 per cent), Canada (0.7 per cent) and Asia (0.5 per cent).
Europe was also the leading export destination for Chilean apples this season, according to Simfruit, receiving 37.8 per cent of shipments, followed by Latin America (22.7 per cent), the US (14.8 per cent), the Middle East (12.7 per cent), Asia (9.6 per cent) and Canada (2.4 per cent).
