With climate change reports forecasting a severe reduction in rainfall for central and northern Chile over the coming decades, the country's southern regions of Biobío and Los Ríos are in the spotlight for future horticultural development. The infrastructure needed to make this a reality has now received a boost, through an agreement to build a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) fruit inspection site in Cabrero, just 108km (67mi) from the Port of Coronel south of Concepcion.

The site in construction is expected to deliver significant time and cost savings for growers once it enters operation at the start of next year.

Until then, Biobío and Los Ríos growers who wish to export to the U.S. will have to continue sending their fruits to a phytosanitary inspection site in Teno to the north in the Maule region.

Photo: Bunks, via Wikimedia Creative Commons.

Like Valparaiso, the Biobío region has a robust port system with seven terminals and good connectivity, and the Port of Coronel in particular is multi-purpose and specialized in general cargo, containers and bulk transfers.

Port of Coronel commercial director Martín Fuentes Robles said investments had been made to continue boosting capacity for new cargo.

"Growing the fruit business is one of our strategic trade challenges. We have capacities that we are strengthening to consolidate ourselves as an efficient alternative in terms of costs and management," Fuentes Robles said.

While the port does not yet have a nearby USDA inspection site for the U.S. market, it has still witnessed exponential growth in international fruit exports, multiplying 25-fold since 2009 to reach 2.3% of Chile's total shipments.

That's why the executive recognizes the momentum the new USDA site will bring to an already growing trade.

"Clearly that will imply an opportunity both for exporters and us. This site will improve fruit cargo access in particular for the United States market, starting with a significant saving in transport if we consider our closeness to Cabrero," he said.

Blueberries are the leading fruit that passes through the port with 41% of its total, followed by fresh apples (19%), raspberries (9%) and fresh pears (7%).

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