Chile recorded a major increase in fruit exports during the first three months of 2011, with a range of products, from apples to table grapes, all showing substantial rises in exterior volume sales.
During the trimester period, total fruit exports reached 866,037 tonnes, a 19.1 per cent increase compared with the same stage of 2011 and a result which maintained the export growth seen during the previous three months.
Some of the biggest export volume rises were recorded for apples (60 per cent), cherries (59 per cent), blueberries (38 per cent), plums (31 per cent), pears (24.5 per cent), nectarines (18 per cent) and table grapes (15 per cent).
According to Chile’s ministry of agriculture, which released the figures, the volume rises for cherries and blueberries in particular were due to a combination of good weather conditions combined with a increase in the planted area over recent years.
By contrast, the agency said the increase in apple volumes was “temporary”, as the harvest rise only corresponded to 12 per cent of the total annual output.
However, at the same time avocado volume exports slumped by 45 per cent year-on-year, while lemon volumes also dropped by 39 per cent during the trimester.
Volume export increases were also seen in vegetables, with some 33,904 tonnes of products shipped during the three months, a rise of 13 per cent compared with 2010.
Garlic (at 47 per cent) and melons (23 per cent) recorded the most significant increases, while major volume falls were seen for tomatoes (95 per cent) and peppers (77 per cent).
