Fruit exports from the region of Bio Bio had a positive first month of the year, stated the INE on Monday. Exports increased by 11.1% in January, compared to the same month last year.
According to the INE, the region exported US $23.4 million in fruit products in January, 11.1% more than the US $21 million that the region exported in January 2016.
The behavior of this sector contrasts with the region's 6.9% drop in total exports in January. The agriculture and forestry sector was one of the few sectors that exhibited a positive variation (10.6%).
The right path
According to the Regional Minister of Economy, Ivan Valenzuela, the behavior of fresh fruit shipments this season is positive news. "The fruit export volume increased by 17.7% in January this year when compared to January 2016," he said.
Valenzuela stressed the importance of the forestry and agriculture sector in the regional economy, "which is reflected in the actions that the government has taken, for example, with the installation of a fresh fruit inspection site in Cabrero, or the work we have done with the region's ports."
He also stressed that these results translated into higher incomes for the region and "are on the right track for what we have said is one of the pillars of development."
The harvest started early
Meanwhile, Alvaro Gatica, a fruit producer and president of the Farmers Association of Ñuble, said that there had been a strong increase in volumes in the first month of the year. However, he said, this increase was partly due to an advance in this year's fruit crops. "The crops started about two weeks ahead of schedule, some fruits were concentrated in December and January," he said.
The union leader added that, in the case of berries, especially of blueberries, the harvest took place earlier than usual.
"As a result, we estimate that there should be a reduction in February," he said. However, he also acknowledged that a good part of the increase was due to the fact that many orchards went into production this season; a result of the sustained increase in planted area that was confirmed by Ciren's Fruit Cadastre in 2016.
Decrease in frozen products
The frozen category has a completely different scenario. According to Odepas' regional agricultural and forestry Export Bulletin, based on customs statistics, exports of frozen products decreased by 19.6% in January.
Jaime Roessler, CEO of Frutícola Olmue, said that the volume of frozen fruit exports had remained relatively constant, and had even decreased, but that prices had fallen sharply.
"This is largely due to the increased competition in international markets. In the case of blueberries, for example, we compete against Peru and the United States; in raspberries against Serbia, Croatia and Poland, which have logistical advantages," he said.
He also said that, in the case of strawberries, the high temperatures had been a factor that led to a lower production and lower quality.
Source: ladiscusion.cl