The Chilean fruit industry is evaluating the damage to new season fruit crops following heavy rains on Saturday 11 December, which fell from the Metropolitan Region to the south of the country, according to a report from SimFRUIT.
The greatest damage has been to cherries and blueberries, which are at the peak of their harvesting periods, said the Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex).
Asoex added that the surveys will continue to be carried out over the next few days since some effects from the downpour may not be immediate and will therefore take longer to appear.
According to a report by Fedefruta (the Chilean Federation of Fresh Fruit Growers), the losses to the cherry crop could amount to 1.2m-1.5m cartons (6,000-7,000 tonnes), which represents 10 per cent of exports, worth US$30m.
Cherry production in the regions of O’Higgins and Maule, which received 12-25mm of rainfall, have endured the brunt of the damage, with the Bing, Lapins, Rainier, Kordia, Sweetheart and Stella varieties among those most affected.
“The losses could increase given that the fruit has yet to be packed and undergo a rigorous selection process in terms of the quality and condition required by the international markets,” explains Antonio Walker, chairman of Fedefruta.
The Chilean cherry industry had forecast an export volume of 11m cartons, worth some US$300m, for the 2010/11 season.
Producers of kiwifruit, plums and apples, meanwhile, have so far not reported any damage to their crops, according to Asoex.
