Chilean apple exports to the US have fallen by 17.4 per cent so far this season to 26,707 tonnes, compared with 32,614 tonnes during the same period of 2008, according to the Chilean Fruit Intelligence System (Simfruit).
Other markets have also recorded reduced volume, including Latin America, where arrivals are down 17.7 per cent to 58,312 tonnes; the Middle East, where shipments have fallen 17.6 per cent to 48,069 tonnes; and Canada, where volume is 13.6 per cent short in comparison to 2008 at just 6,851 tonnes.
Overall, Chilean apple exports have contracted by 8 per cent to 309,416 tonnes in 2008/09, against 336,182 tonnes in 2007/08, Simfruit said.
In Europe, Chile’s apple trade has been negatively affected by the economic crisis which has hit hard many of the region’s key markets, as well as an abundance of local apple stocks, including a 106 per cent increase in Polish apple volume in comparison to last season.
