Exports of Chilean fruit from the Port of Valparaíso’s Pacific South Terminal (TPS) rose by 16 per cent in volume terms during the 2011/12 season, according to a news statement from the facility.
Between November 2011 and March 2012, some 695,271 tonnes of fruit were handled by TPS, which is the biggest port operator in Valparaíso.
The result marks a 16 per cent increase on last season’s 596,848 tonnes, TPS said.
Despite a slow start to the season in November due to weather and exchange rate issues, shipments rebounded in the following months, with volume up by 30 per cent in February against the year-earlier period.
Europe and the US represented the main destination markets for fruit loaded at the terminal, accounting for almost 70 per cent of the grape export crop, while apples also ranked among the biggest export items for the European market.
“It has been a very intense season, during which, in addition to the increase in fruit, we’ve registered a solid increase in the general cargo movement of containers,” explained TPS general manager Francesco Schiaffino.
“Between November 2011 and March of this year, we’ve registered at TPS a 15 per cent rise in the arrival of ships offloading fruit and an average of more than 1,000 trucks circulating the port terminal on a daily basis, as well as reaching in March a record number of container transfers.”
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