Chilean fruit imports to the U.S. are seasonally light this month, but will show significant increases with the New Year.
The main two fruits imported from Chile in December are blueberries and cherries. The biggest item for Chile, are table grapes, which are available January through April. Chilean stone fruit imports are available from February through April.
Chilean blueberry imports are currently very light with the heaviest volume coming in January and February. Through November 6th, 744 tons of fresh Chilean blueberries had been imported by North America. The crop estimate for Chilean blueberries is about 94,000 tons, with North America expected to import around 70 percent of that total.
Chile exported 32.7 million boxes — about 91,038 tons — of fresh blueberries during the 2015-16 season, with North America continuing to be the principal market. Volume shipped to North American continues to increase each season.
In 2015-16, North America imported 69 percent of all Chilean blueberry exports, an increase of three percent over the previous season.
For the 2016-17 season Chile plans to export about 94,000 tons, with North America to receiving around 70 percent of the total.
There is about a six week window for Chilean cherry imports to North American between mid-December and late January. Cherries are also a popular Chinese New Year item, depending on when Chinese New Year falls; In 2017, it is January 28th.
There are no official projections on cherry volumes destined for North America this season, but if weather conditions in Chile remain favorable the total crop export would be around 20 million boxes.
Chile has an excellent fruit production zone because of the natural isolating effects of the landscape of the country – the Atacama Desert in the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the ice-fields to the south.
The unique natural geography of the country consisting of separate independent zones of production have enabled Chile to establish high quality fruit production, without the problems of viruses that have blighted the development of the fruit industries in other countries.