Chile's fruit will be present for the second consecutive year in the sixth edition of Fruit Attraction, a fruits and vegetables fair that will be held between October 15 and 17 at the IFEMA fairgrounds in Madrid. Chile will participate in this international fair thanks to the work conducted by the Association of Exporters of Fruits of Chile AG (ASOEX) and ProChile.
The main objective of participating in Fruit Attraction is identifying contacts with distributors, buyers and retailers to open new markets for Chilean fruit exports.
Fruit Attraction has become one of the most important events of the European food industry for fruits and vegetables. The fair's last edition was attended by 30 countries, mainly from Europe, and more than 28,000 visitors.
Chile: A major exporter of fresh fruit
In only one decade, the Chilean fresh fruit has positioned itself internationally and Chile has become the most important fruit exporter of the southern hemisphere. The country's natural weather conditions allow it to produce a variety of high quality products in more than 320,000 hectares. The Chilean fruit sector represents 1.5% of it GDP and 39% of its forestry, crop, and livestock's GDP, grouping more than 7,800 producers and 835 companies that export 65% of their total production. Chile exports its fruits to more than 2,000 importers distributed in more than 100 countries around the world. Additionally, the sector generates more than 450,000 direct jobs, 150,000 of which are permanent and 300,000 that are temporary, in addition to a million indirect jobs.
The results during the fresh fruit 2013-2014 season ratified the estimates for a drop in volume due to the frost and the port strike. The volumes exported decreased by 11.4% when compared to the previous season (2012-2013), reaching 2,350,543 tons. The volume of green and red apple exports was practically the same as in previous seasons and accounted for 34% of total shipments of fresh fruits in the 2013-2014 period, surpassing the volume of table grapes for the second time, as these dropped by 15% when compared to the 2012-2013 season.
There was a drop in exports to the USA, Europe and the Middle East while the Latin American and Asian markets grew slightly. Despite this, United States is still the main market for the Chilean fresh fruit, followed by Europe and Asia.
Chile, which is considered a trusted provider of food, plays an important role in the Spanish fresh fruit and vegetable market; which makes it a quality option to complement the Spanish products. The country has also positioned itself as a platform for the international expansion of Spanish food companies in general.
Chile exported 32,575 tons of fresh fruit to Spain in the 2013-14 season. Chile mainly exported apples, kiwis, grapes and avocados to Spain.
The Chilean fruit industry has made major investments in technology, which ensures strict Quality Control and a product that complies with all the colour, flavour, aroma, and firmness standards. This has also allowed the country to produce new varieties, earlier harvests and a better quality; key factors so their products can travel long distances. Chile complies with all the good agricultural practices (GAP) standards required by the worldwide markets and has been certified by well-known international institutions.
Chile, a food leader
Chile's Food Strategy focuses on the increase of productivity through innovation and the incorporation of technology, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the production of high quality products. During the last years, Chile has been one of the most important players in the food industry worldwide, and it currently ranks 17th in the exporting countries with exports that exceed 12,000 million Euro. The country's goal is to be among the top 10 exporting countries by 2020, with exports that amount to 16,000 million. All these achievements are the result of the commitment of the public and private Chilean sectors, which have managed to position the country as a reliable supplier of safe food that complies with the international markets' most demanding standards.
Source: Markets