MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile’s fresh fruit exports hit by weak international markets

Fedefruta president Echeverrría called for a diversification of markets

Weak international markets led to a 6% drop in the value of Chile’s fresh fruit exports this past 2008/2009 season, reported Fedefruta President Rodrigo Echeverría this week in Santiago.

The export values fell notwithstanding a 1.9% increase in total export volumes.

Echeverría said low prices for normally high-priced cherries, nuts and blueberries soured this past season’s profit line. Apple and table grape prices in the U.S. and EU also fell, he added, making the situation even worse.

The leader of Chile’s fresh fruit growers’ organization said fruit sales totalled 3.14 billion US dollars or 188 million USD less than in the 2007/2008 season. Volumes this past season totalled 2.45 million tons, compared to the previous season’s 2.41 million tons.

Echeverría said Chile’s fruit industry has to become less dependent on the US and EU markets, and must work to increase sales in Asia, Latin America and to Middle Eastern countries.

“We have to ship more fruit to those parts of the world that have best weathered the economic crisis, markets like China, Japan and Israel” said Echeverría.

“To the extent that we become less dependent on the U.S. and European markets, Chile’s fruit growers will be better off.”

Chile’s fresh fruit growers association convenes it 22nd Annual Fruit Products convention this week in Santiago’s Sheraton Hotel. The convention features a wide variety of workshops updating growers on fruit growing and management techniques.

The event also showcases the Seventh Annual International Business Roundtable, aimed to put Chile’s fresh fruit growers directly in contact with clients across the globe.

Fruit buyers from Israel, China, India, Italy, Ecuador; Mexico and other countries will be in attendance.

By Santiago Times Staff