Some of the heaviest rains to hit Chile in 30 years are thought to have spared the South American country’s major fresh fruit production zones in the central and northern regions, according to local industry sources.
In the last couple of days the southern Chilean region of Araucanía (IX region) has been battered by 40 hours of non-stop rain, causing the River Trancura to overflow its banks and flood surrounding areas, including La Araucanía, Carahue and Nueva Imperial.
“The IX isn’t a major production area for Chilean fruit, so the flooding shouldn’t have affected key crops,” Andrew Wallace of local exporter San Clemente told Fruitnet.com
“Some blueberries in the area may have been affected, but at the moment there is limited information.”
One UK importer agreed there could be some impact on blueberry crops, but added that the south of Chile is not a key zone for major crops such as apples, table grapes and kiwifruit which are grown further north in warmer regions.
President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency in the IX region, where around 23,000 people are reported to have been affected by the torrential rains.
