According to ASOEX's marketing director for Europe and Asia, Charif Christian Carvajal, Chilean fruit sales volumes in Europe have recovered.
It is a very positive development, given last season's challenging context: local oversupplies, increased sales by other competitor exporting countries, and the rouble's devaluation in Russia.
Despite these conditions, exports have grown by an average of 4% in the 27 European markets to which Chile, which is the first supplier in the sector, sends its products, mainly fruits.
Between September 2015 and August 2016 sales volumes in Europe amounted to 549,280 tons. Europe is the second main destination for Chilean fruit exports, behind the east coast of the United States, and ahead of Latin America, which occupies the third position.
Chile has a 17% market share of all the fruits exported from the southern hemisphere to Europe. Sales to the continent account for 22% of the total Chilean exports abroad.
Spain, a growing market
Chilean exporters follow the developments and international market trends, offering complementary or counter-season products.
Spain is one of the key markets for Chilean fruits and operators. The Spanish market, for example, is the biggest consumer of kiwi worldwide.
Spain ranks fourth among the 27 top European destinations, with a volume of 37,500 tons during 2015 and a 21% increase over the previous season.
Apart from kiwi, which is Chile's main fruit export to Spain, with a stable volume of 9,400 tons in recent seasons, the Latin American country mainly exports to the Spanish market bicolor apples (7,900 tons,+19%), table grapes (5,600 tons, 17%), avocados (5,500 tons, +72%), and lemons (3,900, +1,225%).
Regarding the supply ports for the Spanish market, the extraordinary evolution of the port of Algeciras, which has surpassed the port of Barcelona as the biggest port of entry for Chilean fruit exports, should be highlighted.
Chile's Fruit Pavilion in Fruit Attraction 2016
This year's edition of Fruit Attraction has also reasserted ASOEX and Frutas de Chile's interest in increasing their sales and visibility in key markets, such as Spain.
The Chilean pavilion has an area of 150 m, i.e. 60% more than in the previous edition. It is located between the central exhibition area and an annex where there is an outstanding traditional-style fruit cart.
The number of companies has also increased and now there are 25 participants showing different varieties of fruits from Chile.
New mobile application, a pioneer in the sector's mass communications
Asoex - Frutas de Chile has completed a new communication tool for all operators in the sector. It is a new application for smart phones and tablets that will be available at the Apple Store and Google Play from early November.
The application, which can be used in Spanish or English, contains comprehensive and practical information about the main Chilean fruit varieties, their key features, and calendars.
It is very useful for professionals as they can access crop reports, a list of Chilean exporters, news, industry efforts in sustainability, and a list of events and international events, with GeoLocator included.
The app also has recipes and games for children, making it a pioneer in the field of multi-sectoral applications for mass communication.
ASOEX's goal is to provide a flexible communication channel that adapts to new trends and that can be continuously updated with the key information regarding Chilean fruits that international traders need.
The application's landing page has the slogan of Frutas de Chile, Grown with care, and a homage to the fruit producers, which are responsible for the sector's worldwide success.