The Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile projects 59 percent export growth over last season, leaders said during a “Cherry Blossom” event that took place in Chimbarongo, reported Simfruit.
“We will send 131,587,007 boxes of 5-kilogram fresh cherries to the world, equivalent to 657,935 tons, which is a record figure for Chilean cherry exports,” said Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile.
Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, said that “cherries are today the star of Chilean fruit exported to the world, our national pride, which reflects an industry that has been growing steadily over the last decade, to the point of being 27 percent of the total fresh fruit sent abroad.”
Soler pointed out that the projection for this season is a forecast according to the data provided by the members of the Cherry Committee, between September 23 and October 1, 2024, so “there could be some changes during the season.”
However, he said that a good season and favorable weather conditions are expected.
For her part, the interim Minister of Agriculture, Ignacia Fernández indicated that “Public-private coordination is fundamental in the cherry sector and is at the heart of Chile’s agro-exporting strength. The collaboration between our services and cherry growers is daily, for example in packing, where SAG teams are deployed alongside workers to ensure that our product achieves the excellence in quality and phytosanitary safety that characterizes Chile.”
In terms of varieties, Chile expects to export 38.3 million boxes of Santina, reflecting a significant increase of 121 percent compared to last season. Likewise, the shipment of 45.7 million boxes of Lapins is projected, with an increase of 29 percent. Meanwhile, 24.3 million boxes will be Regina, with an increase of 53 percent compared to the previous year. While of the rest of the varieties we will export 23.2 million boxes.
Soler said, “China will continue to be the main destination market for our cherries, but we will continue to diversify our exports to other markets of interest inside and outside Asia.”
The Cherry Committee plans to invest more than $9 million this year in direct promotional actions in the markets of interest, which represents an increase of 118 percent compared to last season.
