Exports of apples and pears from Chile rose by 6.2 per cent and 19.7 per cent per cent respectively last season (2010/11), the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (Asoex) has revealed.
Apple sendings totalled 847,097 tonnes last season, while pear volume rose to 133,691 tonnes, SimFRUIT reported.
Of the total, red apple varieties accounted for 736,774 tonnes (up 9.3 per cent on 2009/10) with green apples fell by 10.6 per cent to 110,322 tonnes.
The US and Canada both received fewer apples from Chile last season, according to Asoex, as their volume fell by 26.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent to 90,419 tonnes and 17,569 tonnes respectively.
One of the biggest increases in Chilean apple arrivals was recorded by the Latin American market whose volume rose by 31.8 per cent to 292,235 tonnes.
Asoex said that Chilean apple sendings to China also grew by 46.1 per cent compared with last season to 13.754 tonnes, while total exports to Asia increased by 0.5 per cent to 100,656 tonnes.
European arrivals also increased by 2.7 per cent to 228,474 tonnes and the Middle East trade rose by 4.7 per cent to 117,744 tonnes.
In the pear category, arrivals in the US rose by 21.8 per cent to 17,985 tonnes, sendings to Asia also grew by 119 per cent to 510 tonnes and volume to Latin America increased 38.4 per cent to 56,628 tonnes.
Conversely, shipments to the Middle East fell 5.5 per cent to 5,022 tonnes, according to Asoex.
