CHILE – Chilean President, Gabriel Boric has signed an agreement with the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, permitting export of apricots and peaches to the Chinese markets.
This protocol is among other four agreements that were signed by the two states to strengthen the agricultural sector with new products.
The agreements include three Memoranda of Understanding on Phytosanitary Certification, Cooperation on Organic Food Certification, and the development of a Chinese Demonstration Farm in Chile.
“We agreed on something very important for the transition to green agriculture. An agreement on organic products. But we also achieved that our peaches from the central zone and the apricot that is so important in Valparaíso or in the Coquimbo region, will also be part of the fruit supply for the country,” says Chilean Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela.
This brings new opportunities for stone fruit producers and exporters, given China’s high consumption demand.
The negotiation will be finalized once a technical visit by inspectors from the Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine of the General Administration of Customs of China, scheduled for November of this year, is completed.
Chile is one of the largest fruit exporters in the world, sending more than 2.6 million tons of fruit annually to over 100 countries across the globe.
The country has a counter-seasonal harvest period that allows for global access to a variety of fresh fruit, year-round.
Chile’s fruit supply ranges from cherries, blueberries, grapes, and stone fruit, to apples, pears, kiwifruit and citrus among others.
The two main export products are grapes and apples, which account for 30% and 25% of total fruit exports, respectively.
In 2021, the fruit-growing sector in Chile achieved record exports, representing over USD 4.36 billion and an increase of about 8% compared to 2020.
The country is thus poised for increased revenue from the new market given China’s rank as the second importer of fresh fruits after the United States.
According to Statista Market Forecast, the revenue in the fresh fruits market in Chile is expected to be USD2.4bn in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 5.88%.
The market volume is expected to reach 1,191.0m kg by 2028, with an expected volume growth of 3.0% in 2024.
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