It was a kind of courtship. Season after season, exporters went out to look for table grapes. Producers played hard to get and the marketers responded with advances and technical support. Some marketers even financed the new plantations of the fruit growers. This is how, since the end of the 70s, the table grape sector grew until it became the fruit with the highest volume exports.
However, the 2017-2018 season, which ended last Friday, showed that this boom is over.
Year after year, the margins of the marketers have become smaller due to the emergence of producers who export directly. Last season the low prices of the grape table were a punch below the belt.
Traditional and large exporters, such as Del Monte and David del Curto, reduced their volumes to concentrate on the most profitable items.
Meanwhile, marketers focused on cherries, which already accounts for about 20% of fruit revenues, and also experienced high pressure. The season was positive, in any case. The volume exported increased by 96% and tested the processing, packaging, and logistics capacity of the industry.
With the high prices paid in China, no producer wanted to miss a good opportunity, which generated more than one friction with the exporters.
Beyond the different realities of each sector, the changes of strategy, and the pressure on the processing and distribution chains, the general results of the 2017-2018 season are positive, especially regarding volumes.
"We exported more than 2.7 million tons of fresh fruit to the world, i.e. 5.6% more than in the previous season. This increase is mainly explained by better climatic conditions that allowed us to resume production levels and the entry of new plantations," stated Ronald Bown, the president of Asoex.
In fact, the country achieved historical export milestones, such as 186,000 tons of cherries and 110,201 tons of blueberries.
"The value of the dollar has played in our favor, because it is very important in the final results. Apart from specific situations, it was a good season," said Manuel José Alcaino, the president of Decofrut.
Source: El Mercurio