According to a report by the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (PASO), blueberries and cherries in Chile have seen an explosive growth in cultivated area, production and exports. Amongst domestic fruits, they have become the fruits with the highest growth in the last decade. This scenario has been mainly marked by the strong return producers get from these products. Blueberries, for example, are being sold at $5 per kilo, despite the problems to send the fruit to the United States due to the emergence of the Lobesia botrana.
Meanwhile, cherry returns amount to $6.3 per kilo. Walnuts have also had a strong increase marked by the good prices paid abroad, as they are being sold at $8.9 per kilo.
The area planted with blueberries went from 1,360 hectares in 2005 to 14,506 hectares in 2014, i.e. more than 1,000% increase. Production also increased in that period, but to a lesser extent, largely because of the increases in the surface area in recent years.
Blueberry exports increased by 383% and amounted to $503.9 million dollars in 2014. In general, Chile exports between 60% and 70% of its production primarily to the United States and the Netherlands, said the PASO director, Claudia Carbonell.
The area planted with cherries in Chile increased from 7,125 hectares in 2005 to 16,932 hectares in 2013. The estimated production for 2014 was 101,033 tons, more than three times the 32,000 tons achieved in 2005.
The volume of fresh cherry exports during 2014 was 85,190 tons, 59% more than what was shipped in 2013, and returns were 38% higher.
According to figures released by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the Department of Agriculture of the United States, Chile is the second largest exporter of cherries, slightly below EE. UU., The country expects to export 89,000 tons this season.
Chile exports about 84% of the cherries it produces. In 2014, 67% of domestic shipments of cherries went to the Chinese market, which was virtually non-existent before 2005. Exports to Hong Kong and Taiwan have also increased.
There has also been a significant increase in the surface area planted with walnuts and its production between 2005 and 2013. The area devoted to this tree increased by 153%, to 24,403 hectares. Estimates are that exports by 2014 increased by 13.9% and amounted to $321.6 million.
"It's a profitable crop for farmers, and it is easily marketed because its perishability is lower than other fruits," said Carbonell.
The main destinations for Chilean nuts are Turkey, Italy and Brazil.
Chile is expected to export $4.773 million in fresh fruit this year, 8.6% more than in 2014, according to estimates by FEDEFRUTA.
Source: economiaynegocios.cl