According to estimates released today by producers, compared to 2015, Chilean fresh fruit exports will decrease by 4% and amount to 2,338 million tons in 2016.
Chile's National Fruit Producers Trade Federation (Fedefruta) stated that this was the sector's lowest number since 2006, when shipments amounted to 2,257 million tons.
"The Chilean fruit growing sector has regressed nearly ten years in terms of volumes, despite the growth it has had in other varieties throughout this time, such as blueberries, cherries and nuts," said the president of Fedefruta, Ramon Achurra.
According to Fedefruta, the heavy frost of 2013 marked a turning point for fresh fruit, as the industry has been unable to fully recover in terms of volumes since then, mainly because of climatic factors that have consolidated a decline in exports.
According to Achurra, the Chilean fruit sector has had a downward trend in exports and sales abroad have fallen by 13.6% since the frosts in September 2013.
Fedefruta anticipated that table grapes and apple exports, which account for over 60% of all Chilean fruit exports, will have the largest declines.
Apple exports will decrease by 7.7% over 2015, when they had experienced a significant decrease of 23.4% over 2014.
Meanwhile, pear exports will decrease by 13%, as estimates are that the country will ship some 125,000 tons in 2016, after having achieved a record 144,000 tons in 2015.
Nut exports, which surpassed 50,000 tons in 2015, are expected to decrease by 12.1% because of the rains in April, according to the most optimistic projections of Fedefruta.
Citrus will slow their growth after shipments of oranges, lemons, clementines and mandarins increased by up to 33% in 2015.
According to Fedefruta's estimates, citrus fruit exports will increase by 4% this year.
Source: EFE