In the southern hemisphere, the Chilean cherry industry is unbeatable, with a 95.7% share of the region's supply during the 2021-2022 season. This industry has existed for at least 20 years in Chile, however, it was in the last decade that it had exponential growth, driven by the increase in popularity of the fruit in China.
Walter Masman is known in the Chilean industry for his expertise on the fruit, participating in the evaluation of the development of varietal tests in the country. When asked whether new varietal offer will meet the demands of the current market, he said: “The vast majority of varieties meet the parameters that customers want today in terms of size, firmness and post-harvest life, which is very relevant in our case. There are some varieties that have been developed for more years, and for this reason we can affirm that the parameters that the market and the customer require are being met. However, still, in several genetic programs, perhaps a couple of years are missing to be able to effectively prove and demonstrate that the quality parameters are met.”
“In Chile, today the 8-10 varieties with which we have been producing for many years continue to dominate. Everything that I speak to you as the new, is something that is just selling. There are still practically no surface incidents that they manage to produce.”
“Until March 2022, the most exported varieties during the 2021/2022 season were: Lapins (123.979 tons), Santina (85.136 tons), Regina (66.851 tons), Bing (22.862 tons), Sweetheart (20.299 tons), Royal Dawn ( 9.870 tons), Skeena (7.524 tons) and Kordia (7.227 tons).”
Source: blueberriesconsulting.com