Chile: Low US prices anticipate negative season for blueberries
The shipments to the North American power, that were advanced by the high temperatures, disputed the market with the Peruvian and Mexican fruit, what did lower the value of sale.
Last year, blueberries were expected to become the Chilean fruit with the greatest export value in the short term. However, today the situation is different and there is a concern for local producers.
Again, the climatic factor made of his and had a negative influence on this season. The high temperatures registered in the spring -period in which the export of blueberries with low quantities of sent fruits begins- accelerated the shipments of this fruit to the destination markets and generated negative consequences.
The president of the Association of Fruit Exporters (Asoex), Ronald Bown, revealed that "the progress that was observed this season was not foreseen in its real dimension by the industry and, therefore, it was not possible to alert the markets and the distribution chain to make the necessary adjustments in matters of promotion”.
The union leader explained that the early arrival with high volumes to the United States - a market that concentrates about two-thirds of local blueberry exports - met with Peru and Mexico in full production.
Because of this advance, Chile did not have the conditions to promote and sell an adequate volume of blueberries, since the highest point of the shipments occurs later, period in which the promotion activities are functioning normally and the movement of fruit is faster.
Bitter season
"This greater offer generated a significant drop in prices and in the speed of sale of the fruit", Bown said. “We estimate that it was a negative season. The considerable drop in prices obtained in the US was the most relevant effect of the season, which was not adequately offset by the increase in volume”, he acknowledged.
And there were reasons to celebrate, but they vanished as a result of the price decrease. In the current season, Chile exceeded for the first time the barrier of the 100 thousand tons exported of cranberries in volume (see infographic) and, until now, records a record of 102.771 tons sent, amount that shows an increase of 12,4% in relation to the previous exercise. You could even get to the 103.500 tons when the current season ends.
Prices down
According to figures from the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa), under the Ministry of Agriculture, the sale prices of cranberries abroad have suffered a sharp drop in the current season. In the US, the market that concentrates the 63% of the shipments of this product, the average sale price was US $ 9,1 per kilo, a figure that reveals a fall of almost 20% in relation to the value of last season , when he averaged US $ 11,3 per kilo. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the two most important destinations within Europe, also showed a drop in the price. For example, on the British island the average price fell from US $ 6,82 per kilo in the 2015-2016 exercise to the US $ 6,52 per kilo in the current season, which reveals a decrease of more than 8%.
In Holland, third destination market in volume, there was a decrease of 10,7% after the price fell from US $ 4,46 per kilo in the 2015-2016 period to US $ 3,98 per kilo.
15.998 are the hectares planted with blueberries in Chile, according to Odepa. The commercial surface has increased an 77% in the last ten years.
19,1% has dropped the average sale price in the United States, a market that represents almost two thirds of the exports of Chilean blueberries.
120% grew shipments to China in volume according to Asoex, while the price reached increased 10,71% and reached US $ 6,91 per kilo this season.
26.500 were the tons of blueberries exported by Peru in the previous season, close to the 25% of Chilean shipments.
Source: Economiaynegocios.cl
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