The Chilean fruit industry has had to face great challenges in recent years, having to face the emergence of new international competitors, greater technology applied to production, new agronomic systems and management, access to cutting-edge genetics, high standards of sustainability and safety required. by consumers and the impact of meteorological phenomena derived from global climate change, among other threat factors, which have apparently affected its leadership in the global fruit market.

Blue Magazine spoke with Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, about the state of the industry and its projections. The full interview will be published in the next issue of Blue Magazine, but we publish an excerpt in this note.

• The figures indicate that the Chilean fruit industry has been gradually losing competitiveness in the global market, this is the case of blueberries and others. In your opinion, this is only due to climatic or imponderable reasons such as the pandemic, or are there other causes that explain it?

• We have seen decreases in exported volumes of some species in recent years, such as blueberries and table grapes, however, other species have shown stable volumes such as kiwis; while fruits such as cherries have shown relevant growth, therefore, it does not seem to us that the industry is losing competitiveness at an aggregate level. What we have seen is a change in the competitive landscape, especially due to the entry of new competitors, such as Peru, in mature markets, such as the United States, for species that were consolidated, which is due both to better access conditions to the market that our competitors have achieved, as well as genetic advantages associated with the use of new varieties.

The president of Frutas de Chile tells us that both producers and exporters of Chilean blueberries and table grapes are making important efforts to introduce new genetics into the productive matrix. “However, this takes time and is highly dependent on investment. Just as an example, in the 2022-2023 season, about 50% of table grape exports were new varieties,” he explains.

The executive of the most important organization that brings together producers and exporters of Chilean fruit, adds that the sector is facing structural pressures in some species (drought, market conditions and genetic matrix of exports), as well as cyclical pressures for the activity. fruit crops in general, which are mainly associated with the greater frequency of extreme climatic events (heat waves, lack of winter precipitation, spring frosts, concentrated precipitation, among others).

• What are Frutas de Chile's objectives in the short and medium term, with a view to regaining competitiveness and once again leading the fruit industry internationally?

• The priorities for Frutas de Chile are focused on driving industry growth: Harvesting better fruits through human capital; improve infrastructure and logistics in relation to water resources, ports, cabotage and maneuvering conditions, and advance in access to new markets and improvement of conditions in those destinations where we are already present, through the deepening of free trade agreements, such as with China, India and Korea.

"Chile is today the main supplier of fresh fruits in the southern hemisphere and the main world exporter of fresh cherries and plums, and although there are fruits that, due to various factors, have lost competitiveness in some destination markets, with Frutas de Chile we think "that we are in a position to advance and recover it, as well as consolidate the image that as a sector distinguishes us in the world: Producers and exporters of quality, safe, sweet-tasting fruit, from a highly technological, innovative and sustainable industry," he concludes.