Summer is arriving in the Southern Hemisphere and this means imports of Chilean fruit will be here soon. Average volume, or perhaps slightly below average is seen by observers.
The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association of Redwood City, CA reports over the next several months there will be arrivals of peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, blueberries and cherries.
Blueberry imports begin in November and continue into mid-March; cherries will arrive in the U.S. from December to February; grapes will be available from December to April or early May; and stone fruit will be here from December to April.
Peaches and nectarines are available in the early part of stone fruit season, and plums during the latter part.
Importer Pacific Trellis of Los Angeles reports a good Chilean stone fruit is expected.
The company expects stone fruit volume to be similar to last year, while blueberry volume will be down. However, a 5% increase in global table grape export volume is seen. About 56% of Chile’s total table grape shipments are exported to the U.S.
Red and green table grapes should be arriving from Chile a little earlier than last year due to a warm winter in the northern Chilean growing areas.
Chilean table grape imports are expected to be similar to last year’s 63.7 million 18-pound boxes.
The cherry committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) expected growers to produce 95.4 million 5-kilogram (11-pound) boxes, which is a 15% increase over last season.
The first boat load of Chilean cherries left for the U.S. in early November.
Last year, Chilean growers shipped 3.2 million boxes of cherries to the U.S.
Naturipe Farms of Salinas, CA notes overall acreage of fruit crops in Chile has been declining as growers look at other crops and other markets. The company sees lower volumes in the 2023-24 season as a lot more of the Chilean crop is going to Asia and Europe.