It is of the utmost importance for Chilean orange producers to enter the Asian market, and the Chinese market in particular. This will also help them reduce their dependence on the US market. The key to conquering the Chinese market is to increase the diameter of oranges through advanced technology and improve the overall product quality.
The Chilean news site "EyN" reported on March 25th, 2019, that the main challenge for the Chilean orange industry is not quantity but quality. The standard size of Chilean oranges needs to grow, and the oranges need to have fewer seeds.
Maria Loreto, trader at the Chilean fruit export company Subsole, stated: "The market discriminates on the basis of fruit size. The smaller oranges are easily overlooked. The Chilean orange industry thus needs to make changes." The need to enter new markets is great as Chilean farmers aim to reduce their dependency on the US market. Data shows that Chile exports a total of 360,096 tons of citrus fruit, and around 312,244 tons are destined for the US market, which is around 86.7%.
Juan Enrique Prohens, board member and manager of trade and operations for the Chilean fruit company Prohens Sommelia, stated: "Opening up the Chinese market represents a huge commercial opportunity. Almost 100% of our export products enter a single market. The Chinese market offers an alternative, a new choice that we have looked forward to for a long time. We hope to end the limits on our export by 2020."
Source: br-cn.com