"Frutas de Chile's main goal is to help exporters streamline the export process, ensuring fruit reaches its destination in optimal quality and condition," stated Iván Marambio, Frutas de Chile's president. The organization focuses on 10 strategic areas, including phytosanitary issues, logistics, water and port infrastructure, and market entry and protection.
Logistics remained a key concern this season. "We are a remote country handling perishable fruit, so top-quality logistics are crucial," he emphasized.
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Transit times to Europe exceeded the agreed margins. "For cherries to China, express services were supposed to take 21 to 23 days, but actually took up to 26 days, and shipping to Europe also took 26 days," he said. This reflects a structural issue in global logistics, driven by disruptions to key routes such as the Suez and Panama Canals, he added.
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India is becoming a key market for diversification. Chile and India are in talks to establish a CEPA agreement that aims to lower tariffs, particularly for apples and kiwis. "We hope this will significantly boost growth," he stated.
India is currently the fourth-largest market in Asia and the eighth-largest globally for Chilean fruit, with around 50,000 tons exported. The goal is to double that amount to 100,000 tons with the new agreement. "We hope that it will become a new Brazil," he said.
Brazil has become the third-largest global market for Chile, with a land transit time of about eight days and no tariffs.
Besides India, Frutas de Chile is working to expand into Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, and North Africa, especially Morocco, focusing on opening markets for specific species, such as plums in Korea and blueberries in the Philippines.
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Marambio said the main challenge is phytosanitary agreements, as opening markets involves technical talks, official visits, and protocols for each fruit.
In the United States, two issues remain: the 10% tariff on key products like grapes and blueberries, and the ongoing legal proceedings that have halted the Systems Approach for grapes.
"In this scenario, Chile's approach merges commercial diplomacy, technical management, and targeted promotion to maintain our standing in key markets and grow our presence in emerging destinations," he concluded.
For more information:
Iván Marambio
Frutas de Chile
Tel: +56 9 9991 5564
Email: [email protected]
www.frutasdechile.cl
