The Chilean export season kicked off officially on Wednesday.

A ceremony featuring the first case of cherries of the season was symbolically handed over by Antonio Walker of growers’ federation Fedefruta to Ronald Bown, president of the exporters association Asoex.

“We expect to have about 10 million 5kg cases of fruit - about 50 per cent more than last year,” said Walker.

The increase is largely due to biennial bearing, but also to the fact that growers have been planting more, particularly over the past five years as cherries have been proving a profitable crop. The main varieties going into the ground are Lapins, Sweetheart, Kordia, Regina and Bing, as these all hold up well during seafreight.

The La Niña weather phenomenon has been making itself felt in the weeks building up to the start of the harvest. “We have had some climatic instability,” Walker told FPJ.

“This has affected only about three to five per cent of the crop - some 60,000 to 70,000 cartons. This is because of La Niña, which has produced some very hot days, some very rainy days and even some hail. The main varieties affected are Brooks, Royal Dawn and Burlat, which are all early varieties.”

Walker expects Chilean output to peak in the last three weeks of the year and reports that regions VI and VII continue to dominate production.

The main issue facing growers this season will be profitability, however. “The rate of exchange is really worrying us,” said Walker. “Our costs of production in dollar terms have gone up 60 per cent in the last three years. The dollar is at 480 pesos but in order to be competitive the fresh fruit sector really needs it to be at 600 pesos.

“We really hope that the central bank takes action or we are going to have a very tense season indeed.”

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