A Difficult Season For Chilean Fruit Exporters
So far, the 2025 season has proved to be difficult for Chilean fruit exporters, especially for cherries and grapes, with market saturation leading to price drops on the latter.
Table grapes, usually grown in the drought affected north of Chile, have been competing with high volumes of Peruvian grapes, which have seen prices fall considerably. This year, a box has yielded between 14 and 15 dollars, compared to 22 dollars in 2024.
Cherries have had their own unique complications. 1,353 refrigerated containers of the fruit, destined for China, now has to be destroyed.
The vessel Maersk Saltoro departed from the Chilean port of San Antonio in December, but the ship had mechanical issues and was left adrift for 23 days. The vessel eventually arrived at the port of Nansha almost two months after departing and the containers have remained on quay.
Chinese health authorities have now made the decision to destroy the products due to ‘logistical and quality’ problems. The process is due to begin this week.
Fortunately, the season has been more encouraging for Chilean apples, which have continued to yield stable results. Prices have improved in recent seasons and Chile appears to be in a competitive position against countries like Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand.
