According to data released by Fedefruta, in the last season, apples displaced table grapes as the star product of the Chilean fruit exports.
Exports of table grapes in the 2013-2014 season amounted to 725,000 tons, 15 percent less than the 860,000 tons shipped in the 2012-2013 season.
Meanwhile, apple exports in 2014 amount to 740,000 tons so far, a number that exceeds grape exports. The report attributed this to the frost and drought in 2013 that affected several regions of Chile.
According to Fedefruta, other factors that have affected grape production are the low yields due to the age of the vines, the low availability of labour and a rise in costs that has reduced the sector's competitiveness.
According to Juan Carolus Brown, president of the organization, "the sector's productive area needs restructuring so that the grape business in Chile performs as it did in the past and the country doesn't risk its position as the largest exporter of this fruit globally."
Source: cooperativa.cl