As a clear sign of Chile’s commitment to strengthening both public and private cooperation, the Chilean Exporters Association (ASOEX) and the Fruit Growers Federation (Fedefruta), in collaboration with the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture and ProChile, are organising two specialised workshops in Russia this summer.
The workshops, which take place on 16 June and 18 June in Moscow and St Petersburg respectively, are designed to promote Chilean fresh fruit exports to Russia as well as evaluate the effects of the global financial crisis on the fresh fruit market and the opportunities that Chilean fruit exports may represent to the country’s retailers, importers and distributors.
Chilean Minister of Agriculture, Marigen Hornkohl, will open the seminars which will include the important participation of César Parra; the Chilean Ambassador to Russia, Ronald Bown; chairman of the board of Asoex and Rodrigo Echeverria; president of Fedefruta, as well as public and private representatives and authorities from both Chile and Russia.
“Thanks to these workshops, the Chilean government, together with the private sector, will promote our country as a world-class food, beverage and forestry supplier, which is committed to the Russian market,” said Minister Hornkohl.
Russia is without doubt an important market for Chilean fresh fruit exports, with imports more than doubling during the last season. The country represents the third-largest direct export destination for Chilean fruits, absorbing 12 per cent of total volume each year.
Chile exported 102,803 tonnes of fresh fruits to Russia in 2007/08, with important volume growth recorded for pomegranates (up by 175 per cent), nectarines (+132 per cent), peaches (+14 per cent), cherries (+17 per cent) and plumcots (+1,514 per cent).
“We want to send a clear signal to the Russian fruit sector that Chile is committed to Russia, which represents a major destination for our European exports,” explained Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX. “Today, more than ever, the investment in the image of our products is a key factor in maintaining and strengthening Chile’s competitiveness in Russia.”
Furthermore, Fedefruta president Rodrigo Echeverria added “The workshops will provide an ideal platform from which to generate and distribute strategic information in order to align our production with the new consumer trends and demands of that market, as well as to prospect those niches in which our domestic fruit industry can compete.”
On 18 June Minister Hornkohl will also inaugurate the first-ever extensive in-store promotional campaign for Chilean produce at a major local Russian retail chain. The initiative is being organised by the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.
To complete the official visit, the delegation will also tour facilities and meet with local authorities at the Port of St Petersburg – the major entry point for Chilean produce in Russia.
