The import sector, which has struggled against a shortage of Chilean stonefruit due to the frosts, said that despite the lower calibre of the Angeleno variety, their appearance, flavour and sugar levels were very good.
And this has been reflected in their price. The USDA reported that, on March 18, the price of a two-layered box of Angeleno plums (30 gauge) ranged between $24 and $26 dollars.
"Apparently, the volume of Angelenos in the US will drop by more than 50% because of the frosts and the demand from other markets," said the director of South American imports of The Oppenheimer Group, Evan Myers. He also said that, compared to the previous season, shipments of Chilean peaches had decreased by 39%, nectarines by 50% and prunes by 46%.
Meanwhile, the stonefruit manager of Jac Vandenberg Inc., Craig Padover, said that the predictions made in September and October by Chilean producers regarding the losses caused by the frost had proved to be quite accurate. "It was like they said, there was an almost 50% drop, including the plums."
So far, Chile has exported 4.6 million boxes of plums, 55% less when compared to the last season. Exports of the Angeleno variety have dropped from 2 million to 1.2 million boxes in 2014.
Source: FEDEFRUTA