Claudia Soler, Executive Director of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex), predicts that the new season will see a 20% increase in the export of refrigerated cargo containing Chilean cherries. This projection is dependent on a variety of factors, including climatic and logistical conditions, as well as the continued diversification of national and international ports handling domestic fruit products.
“There will be several challenges ahead in terms of increased production. We worked with stakeholders, shipping companies, ports, and cargo operators to collectively diversify the same ports, ensuring there are no bottlenecks in reaching our destinations,” Soler said in an interview with PortalPortuario.
“It’s likely that we will have to diversify both Chilean and overseas ports and ensure an adequate number of vessels are available for transporting the cargo. Port development and technology will need to align with the volumes we have. Greater development should occur for the ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio,” she added.
Soler, who is closely associated with the group representing fresh fruit producing-exporting companies, emphasized China as the primary customer and underscored that Chile’s port complexes “must align” with the goal of increasing cherry exports.
In light of this, and given the characteristics of cherries, Soler stated, “We need the processes to be as efficient as possible. With the expected increase in production, we will need to continue collaborating with ports and stakeholders. The goal is to ensure that cherries are not harmed.”
Finally, it’s worth noting that the President of Asoex highlighted the need to conclude the expansion projects for the ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio. According to the director of the Blueberry Committee at Asoex, who also weighed in, the advancements in port infrastructure in Peru would diminish Chile’s competitiveness in terms of positioning fruit products in international markets.
