The ASOEX BB #:156234 Citrus Committee indicates that after the frosts and the recent rains that affected Chile, it made a new estimate to the month of June of the citrus export volumes.
In the new estimate delivered by the ASOEX Citrus Committee, shipments will reach 348,000 tons, 30% more than the volumes exported the previous season and 3% less than the last estimate made in May.
“The frost damage for citrus was quite limited, but there are some sectors of orchards that suffered damage, mainly in the O’Higgins region,” says Juan Enrique Ortúzar, president of the Citrus Committee.
As for the rains, Ortúzar assures that the effect for citrus fruits in general is positive, “although the harvests must be stopped for a few days, some of the water supply can be ensured, at least for the winter when the irrigation channels must be cleaned. There were very specific cases of orchards that suffered flooding, because they were in low-lying areas, but it was not major.”
The first estimates in April of this year, indicated an export volume for clementines of 55,000 tons, for mandarins of 125,000 tons, for oranges 95,000 tons, and for lemons 75,000 tons. In May, the volume of mandarins was updated to 135,000 tonnes.
The latest projection indicates a volume of clementines of 58,000 tons of export; while shipments for mandarins would fall to 125,000 tonnes, the volume of oranges would be maintained; and lemons would also go down with 70,000 tons.
For her part, the manager of the Citrus Committee, Monserrat Valenzuela, points out that “the estimated volumes always have fluctuations, there is influence of external factors, which each season impact in different magnitude, such as weather conditions, freight costs, logistics and market issues, among others.”
In addition, it highlights “the importance of updating estimates throughout the season, reporting the fluctuations that export volumes may have, which allows adjusting the movements of the fruit in the different destination markets”.
It is also important to mention that the Citrus Committee has a work plan (Frost Action Manual) to prevent frost damaged fruit from being exported. This work plan includes the installation of thermographs in the orchards and the temporary suspension of harvests in the orchards or affected sectors until the fruit is reviewed and it is confirmed that it complies with the corresponding export tolerances, says Valenzuela.
Volumes per week 25
At week 25, clementine exports accumulated 51,474 tons, which is equivalent to 76% more than the same period of the 2022 season. As for mandarins, with the season just beginning, 59 tons have been exported. Shipments of oranges accumulate 11,014 tons, a value 45% higher than that exported in the same period of the previous season. Finally, the volumes of lemons reach 14,287 tons, which is equivalent to 5% less than the previous season.
