Customs data shows a big rise in the volume and value of exports between September and December
Chilean fresh fruit exports jumped 40.7 per cent in value and 49 per cent in volume in the first three months of the 2024/25 campaign compared to the year-earlier period. According to the latest data from the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa), shipments from September to December 2024 totalled US$6.316bn FOB.
Cherries led the export charge, with US$1.1bn FOB, equivalent to 187,000 tonnes, equivalent to a 75 per cent hike in value and 158.7 per cent increase in volume year-on-year. However, prices were significantly lower than last season as the market has been unable to absorb the extra volume ahead of the Chinese New Year festival.
The average FOB price per tonnes of cherries between September and December of last year was US$5,837, down from US$8,862 in the year-earlier period.
The latest analysis of the 2023/24 season (ending in August 2024) shows that US$7bn of fresh fruit was exported (FOB), an increase of 20.7 per cent on the previous season. Chile’s shipment volume grew 3.7 per cent to 2.54mn tonnes. This is just below the 10-year average of 2.59mn tonnes.
According to data from the Odepa-Ciren Fruit Cadastre, Chile had 372,576ha planted with fruit trees in 2024. Over the past five years, plantings have increased by an average annual growth rate of 1.8 per cent. The only fruits to have seen a contraction in acreage are table grapes (down 7 per cent in the last five years to 14,589ha) and apples (down 3.2 per cent to 4,859ha in the last five years).
