Chilean cherry exporters will benefit from faster shipping services to Asia this season thanks to a deal signed by the Chilean Cherry Committee and shipping consortium ASPAI.
The agreement means that between weeks 47 and 52, services to Hong Kong and Shanghai will take 22 and 25 days respectively, cutting five days of the current transit time.
Committee president Cristian Tagle said the service would benefit the entire Chilean cherry industry.
“The shorter shipping time means fruit will arrive fresher and in better condition and this will support the promotional activities that we have lined up for the forthcoming season to boost consumption of Chilean cherries in China,” Tagle said.
Asoex president Ronald Bown noted that the Chilean Cherry Committee’s membership accounted for a high percentage of the industry. He urged exporters outside the committee to join its ranks in order to take advantage of the extensive marketing campaign.
“No exporter should be excluded from this initiative. Cherries are one of our most important products with huge growth potential,” he said.
The 2016/17 promotional campaign will be Chile’s biggest yet, costing the committee between US$5m and US$7m. Its main focus will be on China, which absorbs 80 per cent of Chile’s cherry export volume, but marketing activities are also planned for the US and Brazil, as well as studies into the South Korean and Japanese markets.
