"In late October, riots erupted in the capital of Chile, Santiago, in response to the rising price of tickets for public transport. There have been violent protests in Santiago and other areas of Chile since then and the government has not yet been able to calm the unrest. Many people in the fruit industry who made plans to visit Chile to inspect the cherry production areas, have decided to cancel their plans because they are worried about the danger of violent demonstrations. Several shipping companies are considering the safety of their employees and may decide to cancel cherry shipments on November 11th, 18th, and 25th. Many ports have temporarily halted activities. This has a definitive impact on Chilean cherry export." This is according to Mr. Liu of Guoyi Fresh Fruit Supermarkets who recently talked about conditions in the Chinese import market for Chilean cherries.
"China imported close to 9 thousand shipping containers full of Chilean cherries last year. This year the import volume is estimated at 11-12 thousand shipping containers. However, we have already canceled two shipments because of the violent protests. The interruptions in Chilean port activity delay cherry export. The ripe cherries are unable to leave the country in time. We can only hope to work together with local farmers and sell the cherries locally, or else transfer them to the US and other nearby countries. We expect our first air freight of Chilean cherries to arrive in Zhengzhou on November 20th. However, the cost price of air freight is high, which makes air freight unsuitable for transport of large volumes of fruit."
The Chilean Fruit Export Association (ASOEX) predicts that the overall export volume of Chilean cherries will reach 209 thousand tons this year. That would be an increase of 16.1% in comparison with last year. "In previous years, the first sea freight of Chilean cherries usually reached China in the middle of December. This year the first sea freight of Chilean cherries was delayed, but by how much is still too early to predict. As for the price, the export price of Chilean cherries depends on the export company and destination. We can only wait for the situation in Chile to calm down before we continue planning cherry import to the Chinese market. However, we predict that while the arrival of Chilean cherries may be delayed this year, the overall trend will not change. The import volume to the Chinese market will remain huge," according to manager Liu.
Guoyi Fresh Fruit is a supermarket chain in east China specialized in fruit import. The company has 29 stores in Ningbo. "The living standards of Chinese consumers are rising and they demand a greater variety of fruit. Our import volumes keep growing, year after year. Some imported fruits are already an integral part of the Chinese fruit market, such as Chilean cherries, Vietnamese red jackfruit and dragon fruit. These fruits sell well in the Chinese market. Overseas farmers are also becoming familiar with the taste of Chinese consumers. They expand the overall surface area of their farms and select the fruit varieties based on consumer trends in the Chinese market."
When asked about price developments in the import industry, manager Liu explained, "price fluctuations in the import industry are much smaller than price fluctuations for domestic fruits. The overall price of imported fruits shows a slight but steady increase."
For more information:
Liu - Manager
Guoyi Fresh Fruit
Tel.: +86 15858425555