Atacama is the Chilean region that produces early grapes for export, the first variety that is sent to international markets. This season, 2017-2018, the farmers of the Copiapo Valley hope to achieve better results than in the last season. "We know that there is less fruit from California and from Peru, which will allow us to enter the market under better conditions. In addition, our grapes are showing very good quality," said Lina Arrieta, the President of the Association of Agricultural Producers and Exporters of the Copiapo Valley (APECO).
Arrieta added: "We expect to increase production in the 2017-2018 campaign by close to 20% over the previous season, with a production of 11 million 500 thousand boxes. This is due to a greater volume of new varieties of grapes of better quality and higher yield, which has been accompanied by a greater availability of water, and the recovery of the sector after the rains that affected it. We are an industry that has had hardships, but we've also learned to stand up and move forward. That distinguishes us."
"The United States continues to be our main destination, however we have been lowering our exports from 70 to 75 percent of our total shipments, to a little over 60 percent. We are looking for new markets, such as Asia, especially China. In addition, according to the Director of ProChile, there are other emerging markets, such as India, that also present a good opportunity to diversify our exports," she said.
Source: SimFRUIT