A number of senior industry and port officials were on hand to welcome this year’s first shipment of Chilean winter fruit to the US on Monday 17 December.
The fruit, which was delivered by Pacific Seaways' (PSW) chartered refrigerated breakbulk vessel m/v Polarstream, was greeted by Chilean ambassador Felipe Bulnes, Delaware governor Jack Markell, Chilean exporters association (Asoex) President Ronald Bown, Pacific Seaways executive director Francisco Labarca and port officials.
Wilmington is the nation’s leading marine terminal for imports of perishable cargo and a major point of entry and distribution for Chilean fruit, and 2012/13 marks the third consecutive Chilean fruit season that Delaware's seaport has received the season’s first ship call to the US.
Chile’s harvest period in the Southern Hemisphere between late November and April complements North American demand for imports of fruit, with nearly 6,600 pallets of table grapes, blueberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums being discharged by the first vessel.
'We are gathered here today to commemorate the strong fruit trade partnership that exists between Chile and the state of Delaware, reflected by the arrival of the first vessel of the 2012/13 season carrying Chilean fruit at the Port of Wilmington, one of the main gateways in the East Coast for shipments of Chilean fresh fruit,' said ambassador Bulnes.
'Over the past decades this industry has been one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors of the Chilean economy and the US is the main destination market for our agricultural products,' he added. 'We look forward to further strengthening the relationship between Chile and the State of Delaware.'
The Port of Wilmington handled 15.9m cases of Chilean fruit at estimated retail value of US$600m during the 2011/12 season.
