ASOEX reports 4.3% growth in fruit production

The fruit season, lasting between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017, was marked by a 4.3% growth in terms of volume, reaching 2,597,756 tonnes.

The president of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile, AG (ASOEX), Ronald Bown, stated that "despite the fact that the overall volume of shipments was higher than in the previous year, the fruit season was affected by adverse weather conditions, namely unexpected frost and rainfall, which has an impact on both the production and the shipments made overseas."

"Moreover, in this campaign, practically all species saw advances in the start of the harvest of between two and three weeks, which also led to exports starting earlier and therefore caused them to overlap with local productions and with those coming from third countries. This had a negative effect on the normal behaviour of the markets, with an especially difficult situation in the United States of America."

Bown stressed that despite the increase in volume compared to the previous season, the record 2.654 million tonnes of the 2012-2013 campaign have not been reached.

With regard to destinations, three regions recorded increases in the exports: the United States of America, Canada and Europe, with 9.7%, 6.4% and 8.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Far East and Latin America recorded slight decreases, with -0.6% and -2.2%, respectively. In the Middle East there was an 8% drop, mainly due to the lower exports to Saudi Arabia (-5%) and the United Arab Emirates (-14%).

Regarding specific products, table grapes are Chile’s most exported fruit, with 732,498 tonnes, which is 6.5% more than in the 2015-2016 campaign. This shows that the sector has managed to recover from the impact of the frosts, floods and rains recorded in previous seasons with the harvest in full swing. Red apples are in second place in the ranking of exports, with 616,694 tonnes, followed by kiwis as the third most exported fruit, with 179,393 tonnes.

Also, it is important to note the 36.5% growth in the volume of avocados shipped, as well as the 17% increase in pears, 13.8% in cherries and 13.7% in blueberries.

Five markets account for almost 60% of all exports: the United States of America, with 869,296 tonnes; China-Hong Kong (269,117 tonnes), the Netherlands (186.704 tonnes), Colombia (109,428 tonnes) and the UK (107,859 tonnes). The United States remains the main destination market for Chilean fresh fruits, recording also the highest growth, with 9.7%.

Meanwhile, China (not including Hong Kong), consolidates its position as the second destination market for Chilean fruit.

"The Chinese market has become a destination of the highest interest for our sector. In fact, thanks to the efforts of the industry, together with the public sector, we have established ourselves as the first supplier of fresh fruit in China; a fact that we celebrate and highlight during each of the activities we organise in the framework of our participation in Chile Week China and Asia Fruit Logistica,” pointed out Ronald Bown.

The main destination for fresh Chilean fruit is still the United States of America, with 869,296 tonnes and a 9.7% growth, which makes it the region with the highest growth of exports in the 2016-2017 campaign.

The products with the highest export volumes to the US are table grapes (345,275 tonnes), red apples (69,120 tonnes), blueberries (65,012 tonnes), avocados (33,179 tonnes), kiwis (26,525 tonnes) and pears (11,446 tonnes).

Europe received a total of 596,891 tonnes of fresh fruit, which is 8.7% more than in the previous campaign. This growth marks a recovery compared to last season and makes Europe the second fastest growing market in 2016-2017.

The Netherlands, which is the main port of entry and distribution to Europe, received 31.7% of the total, followed by the UK (18.2%) and Russia (12%).

The products with the highest export volumes to Europe were red apples (25.1% of the total), table grapes (21.3%), avocados (15.8%), kiwis (12%) and pears (12%).

In the 2016-2017 season, the Far East received a total of 479,620 tonnes, which is 0.6% less than in the previous campaign. The reason for this is the smaller amount of fruit received by Hong Kong (-27.4%), as the shipments are being directed directly to the ports located in China.

"This season we had very good news in the Far East, as we managed to get our nectarines to China, as well as our blueberries and avocados to India. Furthermore, we have started the negotiations for the entry of our pears into the Chinese market and for that of our avocados into South Korea. As ASOEX, we actively participate with our experts and technicians, together with the authorities and professional teams of SAG and the Ministry of Agriculture, in the process of opening markets for our fruit," pointed out the President of ASOEX.

The People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong) received 269,117 tonnes, thereby consolidating as the first destination for Chilean fruit exports in the Far East, followed by Taiwan, with more than 70,000 tonnes, South Korea (with over 45,000 tonnes), Japan (with more than 33 thousand tonnes) and India (with 29.361 tonnes).

The products with the higher volumes shipped to the Far East were table grapes (36% of the total), red apples (19%), cherries (17.2%), kiwis (7.1%) and plums (6.7%).

The Middle East received 90,117 tonnes, down 8%, falling after the recovery recorded in the previous season.

Saudi Arabia absorbed 63.8% of the total, followed by the United Arab Emirates (24%) and Kuwait (4%).

Red apples are the main product exported, with 60,186 tonnes and 67.2% of the total, followed by table grapes with 12% and 11,083 tonnes.

The volume of fresh fruits exported to Latin American countries reached 506,188 tonnes.

Colombia recovered the first place as the main destination with 109,428 tonnes and a 1.8% growth, followed by Brazil, the country that had ranked first in the previous campaign due to a greater volume of apples. This season, Brazil received 99,116 tonnes, which was 28.6% less than in the previous year.

The third place was for Peru, with 72,712 tonnes and a 6.2% increase in the volume of shipments.

Red apples accounted for 45.6% of the total, followed by pears with 11.9%, table grapes with 11.2%, kiwis with 7.6%, and plums with 4.7%.

Valparaiso is still the main port for the shipment of fresh fruits, with more than 1.5 million tonnes exported during the campaign and a growth of 40.1% compared to 2015-2016. Meanwhile, San Antonio recorded a significant decrease (-38.9%) down to 543,593 tonnes, and third in the ranking was the Los Andes land port, with 129,521 tonnes.

Worthy of note was the increase of over 200% in the volume of fruit exported by the Port of Coquimbo, mostly due to the recovery of its operations following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which had seriously damaged its facilities. Another important fact is the 30.5% increase in exports achieved by the Port of Coronel, undoubtedly resulting from the opening of the new site for phytosanitary inspections in Cabrero.

"The inauguration of the Phytosanitary Inspection Site of Cabrero this year has been helping give a boost to the sector’s competitiveness, reducing logistics costs and facilitating greater growth and development at local level. The site has been opened in the framework of the Pre-shipment Program, a Tripartite Collaboration Agreement between SAG/ USDA-APHIS /ASOEX, with more than 33 years of history, and will make it possible for the fruit to be inspected before being shipped to the United States of America," stressed the President of ASOEX.

For more information: www.asoex.cl