Chilean fruit sendings in 2009/10 rose by 2.9 per cent, buoyed by table grape, apple and kiwifruit growth and progress on emerging markets.
Chilean fresh fruit exports rose by 2.9 per cent to 2.5 million tonnes in 2009/10, up from 2.39mt during the previous season, according to new data released by the industry’s market intelligence system SimFRUIT.
Ronald Bown, chairman of the Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex), said the reason for the only slight increase in volume was not due to the earthquake in February (which only caused some delays and therefore no major export losses) but rather the frosts last season, which affected the stonefruit and table grape crops in particular.
Despite sendings falling by 5.9 per cent, SimFRUIT said table grapes topped the export list in 2009/10, accounting for 33 per cent of Chile’s total fruit output.
Apples ranked second, representing 32 per cent of sendings (following a 14.3 per cent rise in volume), while kiwifruit shipments fell by 0.5 per cent to finish in third place.
Fruit categories registering the highest growth in exports last season included lemons (up 63.4 per cent), pomegranates (55 per cent) and avocados (33 per cent). Mandarin sendings also rose by 30.1 per cent and blueberries by 20.2 per cent.
Market-wise, sendings to Europe fell by 4.4 per cent on the back of 35.5 per cent and 26 per cent declines in plum and nectarine exports respectively. Conversely, lemon shipments to Europe rose significantly from 1,215t in 2008/09 to 9,833t.
SimFRUIT said Argentina recorded the greatest increase in arrivals from Chile (at 76.1 per cent), followed by Saudia Arabia (55.8 per cent), Canada (31.2 per cent), Russia (27.3 per cent) and Japan (22.5 per cent).
Apples, table grapes and lemons were the biggest export items sent to Asia last season, SimFRUIT said, while sendings of avocados rose by 207.3 per cent, apples by 56.5 per cent, blueberries by 36.6 per cent, lemons by 27.7 per cent and cherries by 22.4 per cent.
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