Chilean kiwifruit exports are in the middle of the season, so initial assessments can already be made. To find out the status of these exports and the role Brazil is playing, FreshFruitPortal.com spoke with the president of the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee, Carlos Cruzat.

He began by saying that more than 70% of the fruit has already been shipped to various destinations and that shipments of conventionally chilled fruit have ended. “We are at the stage where all shipments are a little slower because there is a strong volume of summer fruit from the northern hemisphere in the markets”.

He added that, to date, shipments already exceed 100,000 tons, and they expect to export a total of 140,000 tons.

Cruzat said that in the first part of the season, the industry had a very high packing yield, linked to very good sizes, and a lot of movement in international markets. Now, in the second stage, packing efficiency drops by 10-15%, “because the fruit has a longer storage time and, therefore, there are fruits that are losing firmness or some even rot, which have to be removed. Therefore, yields are a little lower at this stage.”

Changes in markets

Markets for Chilean kiwifruit have evolved. While a couple of years ago, Europe was the main buyer with a 60% share, Cruzat explained that this has dropped to around 40 and 35%, giving space to markets such as Asia and Latin America.

In the latter, the Chilean fruit is seeking to make even more headway. The president of the Kiwifruit  Committee informed that last season they sent a total of 14,000 tons to Brazil.

Shipments to the country are extended until November with stored fruit that is sent under a Systems Approach protocol, “which allows us to send fruit that lasts longer and is there until the fruit from the northern hemisphere appears.”

Cruzat defined the South American giant's market as large and important. “It is also a market that is very close geographically, so it allows us to arrive very late in the season and has given very good results,” he added.

Given the good results that the industry has had with the Systems Approach, the Chilean kiwifruit representative said that now they want to “push” the market with a promotional campaign -for the first time-, which will allow the sale of Chilean fruit throughout the year.

Cruzat said that the strategy of developing the Brazilian market for the first time aims to maintain -along with the northern hemisphere- a year-round supply so that the market grows and consumption in the country increases. 

“We believe that this is a market that is still learning about kiwifruit consumption, but that has a great growth potential and that is very attractive for Chile,"  he said. 

He explained that the promotional campaign is aimed at supermarkets and marketing networks, “because we want them to be the ones who stimulate consumers. They also have a strong educational component regarding the health benefits (of kiwifruit), in addition to information management in social media platforms.”

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