After seven years of negotiations, Chilean kiwifruit producers will now be able to export their product to Brazil under a systems approach which does away with methyl bromide spraying.

The decision comes after a Brazilian delegation visited the country from May 1-7 and confirmed everything was in order to start with the new protocol.

The deal breaks new ground for Brazil's leading kiwifruit supplying nation, but might have come a bit late as far as this season is concerned; many growers have already finished their campaigns and won't be able to send the fruit under the new protocol.

The Brazilian authorities' main concern was the control of the pest Brevipalpus Chilensis, but these were allayed upon inspecting the industry's system for production, packing and laboratory testing.

In a release, Chilean Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche said the news is what Chile's kiwifruit growers had been waiting for.

"We are in the middle of the export season for this fruit and Brazil is an important market for Chile," he said.

"And it can keep growing, especially with this alternative to avoid the application of chemicals on the fruit which without a doubt improves its quality but also relates to the constant concern for environmental protection and looking for safer alternatives."

In conversation with www.freshfruitportal.com, Verfrut commercial manager Ignacio Donoso confirmed the most obvious benefit would be the new protocol's effect on fruit quality without chemicals.

"Also, the benefit for growers now is that you don't have to invest in these applications, which means lower costs," he said.

"With a systems approach what it does is basically authorize certain orchards that prove - with samples and traps - that they are free of pests that the Brazilian market wants to protect itself from."

The executive's response was not all positive however, claiming the process took much longer than it needed to.

"It seems unbelievable to me that it's taken so long to approve the systems approach, because it was announced as official last year for this season, and just yesterday (June 30) authorization was received to be able to physically do it.

"We don't have any kiwifruit left. We just finished all of our export process, which practically means the 2016 season went by without having a single shipment with the systems approach."

Verfrut sends around 10% of its production to the Brazilian market with a volume of between 150 and 200 containers of kiwifruit.

"It has been a difficult start to the season with a lot of volume from the Northern Hemisphere, so a lot of fruit is still there in the markets," he said.

"In Brazil we have seen a lot of Italian fruit which is our most direct competitor in that market."

Brazil was Chile's fifth-largest kiwifruit export market last year, behind the United States, the Netherlands, Italy and Russia.

Exports to Brazil rose by 99% last year to hit 12,248 metric tons (MT), representing faster growth than the total export rate increase of 80% - this meant Brazil accounted for around 7% of Chilean shipments.

Chile and Italy tend to tussle over the top spot in terms of Brazil's kiwifruit import market, albeit with different seasons, but last year the South American exporter beat out its Mediterranean rival by more than 3,000MT.

www.freshfruitportal.com