The Fruit Exporters Association of Chile (ASOEX) along with the Ambassador of Japan in Chile, Naoto Nikai, announced that Chile had increased its fruit exports to Asia and to Japan by 1.8% and 2%, respectively, when compared to 2013.
According to their data, fruit exports to the Asian market during the 2013-2014 season amounted to 406,672 tons, i.e. 1.8% more than in the previous 2012-2013 season when they amounted to 399,314 tons.
The main Chilean fruit exports to the Asian market were table grapes (42% share of all fruit exports), apples (31%), cherries (12%), limes (5%) and kiwifruit (3%).
Chile exported 28,826 tons of fruit to the Japanese market 28,826 in the 2013-2014 season, i.e. 2% more than in the previous season (28,256 tons).
The Japanese representative stated that this figure would continue to increase and they had great expectations for 2015. "Japan knows that Chile is a good place to invest and that the country is a gateway to Latin America. Many Japanese companies have established in Chile and we think that many more will come to this country, "he said.
In turn, the President of ASOEX, Ronald Brown, said: "We've analyzed current issues of great importance to the industry with the ambassador, such as the approval of the Systems Approach for Chilean cherries destined for Japan, which was very valued by the Japanese authorities because it will allow them to increase the presence of this fruit in the Japanese market with the best possible quality and price for consumers."
ASOEX and the Japanese ambassador agreed to have a discussion about the tariffs applied to Chilean citrus, which are quite high and affect the sector's competitiveness. They pledged to push the issue so that it is included in the free trade agreement between both nations.