Five out of every hundred pieces of fruit consumed in the US are from Chile. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this means that on average, each American eats 5.6 kilos of Chilean fruit a year. Still, this amount is not that high, considering the fact that fruit consumption in the US is an impressive 110.6 kilo per person, and the fact that Chile shipped no less than 1.7 tons of fruit to the States last year.
In the European Union, the consumption of fresh produce from Chile is modest: 1.37% of the Union’s total intake. In fact, Chile only provides 1.38 kilos of the 101 kilos consumed per capita annually. Part of this is due to the European preference for tropical fruits like bananas and mangos, fruits that Chile does not produce. Also, much of the fruit that Chile does offer is produced in the EU as well.
There is, however, room for expansion. “The fruit [in Europe] is predominantly consumed during the summer,” says the chairman of de Federación de Productores de Fruta, Cristián Allendes, “and we succeeded in exporting these products in winter.” Furthermore, Asia is coming into focus as a possible market, even though Europe and the US remain the most important customers.
Also on the upside, table grapes from Chile continue to perform. Chile, in fact, is the senior distributor of grapes and bilberries in the world, at least according to Luis Mayol, Minister of Agriculture. Over 14% of Europe’s bilberry intake are supplied by Chile, in the US this number is even higher: 33%. When it comes to grapes, Chile contributes 15% of US consumption, and over 4% of Europe’s.
Source: El Mercurio