At the start of the 2024-25 season, the Chilean Cherry Committee released its first export estimates, projecting volumes of 131,587,007 boxes (5 kg each) of fresh cherries, equivalent to 657,935 tons. These figures marked a new record for the industry.

However, last week, the Chilean Federation of Fruit Producers (Fedefruta) warned that the projection for fresh cherry shipments could decrease, particularly for the Regina, Santina, Royal Dawn, and Lapins varieties. The primary cause cited was fruit abortion in certain production areas.

On Monday, November 18, during an event celebrating the start of the cherry season at the Port of San Antonio, Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee, stated, “We expect a total of 124 million boxes, which represents 51% more than the previous season.”

Freshfruitportal.com spoke with Walter Masman, a technical advisor and consultant specializing in cherries and stone fruit, about the situation observed in Chilean orchards following Fedefruta’s announcement.

“I have had the opportunity to travel all over Chile and have seen fruit abortion in crops across the country, with varying degrees of intensity,” Masman said. “This season, we have seen abortion in several varieties, including Royal Dawn, Lapins, Santina, and Regina.”

Carlos Tapia, director of Avium SpA, pointed out that the initial estimate seemed quite ambitious. “I think it’s hard to believe. If I calculate simply, in the years Chile has produced more fruit, the maximum has been around 100 tons per hectare. Multiplying that by 67,000 hectares gives us 105 to 110 million boxes,” he explained.

Varieties

Fruit abortion has not impacted all varieties equally.

“For example, in the central-southern region, Regina suffered from bad temperatures during flowering, which I believe caused higher abortion rates in this variety,” Masman noted.

Regarding Santina, he said the peak harvest is expected to begin next week, despite some abortion. “I think the winter estimate still holds because there was no significant fruit drop in Santina. I still see 10 to 12 tons per hectare,” he added.

On the other hand, Lapins started off inconsistently this year. Masman explained, “We will probably reach a positive outcome for this variety with good calibers and solid loads. So, I believe Lapins meets the winter estimate.”

Fruit Quality and Condition

Masman observed that vigorous orchards with strong shoot development are now experiencing issues with early varieties, where fruit firmness and sugar (Brix) levels have declined.

Tapia indicated, “As a team, we are keeping projections between 105 million and 110 million boxes. I think it’s better to keep the numbers conservative and avoid creating unrealistic expectations for customers.”

He noted that Regina’s challenges were not necessarily due to drought but rather a lower fruit set resulting from poor flower fertilization. This was also influenced by climatic factors, he said, "particularly during flowering in some colder areas, with rain and other adverse conditions."