Ronald Bown, president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, ASOEX, a group of directors of the entity, some representatives of the producers, and the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche, and Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, will be part of the Presidential Tour to the United States.
President Bachelet and the delegation travelled last Saturday, January 17. On January 19, President Bachelet went to New York to participate in a session of the Security Council of the United Nations and then she planned to visit Wilmington (Delaware) and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) on January 20 to highlight the fruit trade between Chile and the United States.
Bachelet starts her U.S. tour to chair the UN Security Council
The Presidential tour includes a visit to the Port of Wilmington in Delaware, as the US receives 70% of the fruit exported from Chile through this port.
The President and the delegation will meet with the governor of Delaware, Democrat Jack Markell, and other state authorities. Then, they'll travel to Pennsylvania, Chile's fifth largest trading partner in the United States, where they will visit Philadelphia's Chamber of Commerce.
In this regard, Ronald Bown said: "Participating in this activity with the President of the Republic is important for the Chilean fruit export sector because it highlights the work done by the industry and the Government to enhance the national fruit's reputation in this market. The U.S. is the main destination of our exports and this is the first time that a Chilean president has visited this area to support the work done by the industry to increase the Chilean presence in this important market."
"The United States, in terms of volume, is the main target market for Chilean fresh fruit. Last season Chile exported more than 750,000 tons to this market, and the most exported products were the table grapes, apples, blueberries, cherries, citrus, and avocados," Bown added.
Fruit exports
According to ASOEX, fresh fruit exports to the United States during the 2013-2014 season amounted to 753,248 tons, 12.5% less than in the previous year. This was mainly due to the frost in the spring of 2013 and to the port strike but other factors also affected production and exports of the national fruit.
The main ports of arrival for the Chilean fresh fruit were the ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington, which received 424,940 tons of Chilean fruit in the 2013-2014 period. The port of Los Angeles received 169,650 tons of Chilean fruit; followed by the Port of Long Beach with 39,801 tons and the Port of Miami with 29,410 tons.
Table grapes remain the most exported fruit with 317,444 tons. Apple exports rank second with 115,920 tons, and orange exports rank third with 56,297 tons. Avocado exports rank fourth with 54,611 tons, 249.1% more than in the previous season.