Trade agreements and market diversification are some of the key aspects of the fruit industry. As the saying goes, “It is better to put your eggs in different baskets” in order to secure shipments and, in the event of any complications, re-direct exports to another destination.

One of the main milestones in 2024 was the implementation of the Systems Approach for Chilean table grapes, a protocol that benefits the fruit produced in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo, and part of the Valparaíso region.

This replaces methyl bromide fumigation with mitigation measures at source, promoting the quality and condition of the fruit, and strengthening competitiveness against other southern hemisphere suppliers in the U.S. market.

Chile's Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, said at the time that “this is very relevant”, given that after cherries, table grapes are the country's main fruit export, raking in more than one billion dollars annually, almost half of which goes to the United States.

At the commercial level, Chile also boosted exports to the Brazilian market with a 42% increase, which demonstrates the relevance and development of fruit exports to Latin America. Peru applied a similar strategy, as it will be able to export more citrus to Brazil, in addition to the reactivation of its table grape shipments to Ecuador, which had been suspended for almost a decade.

Other countries that benefited from the agreements were Ecuador and Brazil. In the former, the pineapple industry celebrated the news of exports of the fruit to Peru, encouraging the development of the Latin American market. In the latter, producers will benefit from the export of their apples to Peru.

In the case of Colombia, it was able to export avocado to the Chilean market, in addition to access to Ecuador for lemons and sweet citrus from Argentina.

It is also important to highlight other new accesses in South America, such as grapes to Ecuador; Sutil lemon, Tahiti lime, Eureka lemon, orange, grapefruit, and fresh Hydrangea flowers to Brazil; blueberry and avocado plants to Colombia; and blueberry plants to Chile. In the Asian market, Peruvian products that gained access this year were: grapes, pecans, nuts, and frozen fruits (avocado, mango, blueberries) to China, avocado to Malaysia; and mandarins to Vietnam. 

United States

In the U.S. market, in order to strengthen its image and positioning, Frutas de Chile launched its brand, unifying in one logo the participation of all the committees that are part of the institution.

On the other hand, Chile also seeked to export Andean papaya to this destination, and thus expand the portfolio of fruits that are destined for consumers in the northern hemisphere. The United States will also receive Guatemalan avocado, which was officially admitted in early November. The performance of the Guatemalan fruit in this market is yet to be seen, given the competition it will face with the fruit from Mexico -clear dominator of this market-, Chile, Peru and, of course, the local fruit from California.

In addition, Colombia plans to start exporting passion fruit to the United States in the near future, which reflects the growing potential of the South American country that is already standing out in other fruits, such as avocado or avocado.

Argentina also exported blueberries to the U.S. with quarantine treatment at origin, a breakthrough for the industry, which this year was also removed from the “black list” related to labor conditions in the sector in the country.

Grapefruit producers in Texas gained access to the South Korean market, after the news was officially announced in June by the Asian country's national plant protection organization, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA).

Asia

The Asian market is a highly profitable destination for quality fruit. For this reason, several supplier countries are seeking to expand their agro-export basket to the different Asian countries in order to reach more consumers.

Brazil will be able to export table grapes to China, as the agreement officially became a reality with the visit of the President of China, Xi Jinping, to the South American giant. In addition, the Brazil also obtained entry for its avocado to the Japanese market.

Another important commercial action by the fruit industry was the agreement to export Chilean plums directly to Chinese supermarkets. In addition, the Chinese company Freshippo, part of the Alibaba Group, visited Chile to learn about the available supply of fresh and frozen fruit in order to open business opportunities, specifically directly or through an associative model that connects Chilean agricultural production with the retail demand of Chinese retailers.

Chilean citrus fruit, during 2024, carried out a specific campaign in the Japanese market to promote the presence of the fruit and awareness of Chilean fruit.

In terms of access to new markets, Peru took several steps to gain access for its mango to Japan and the Middle East. Ecuador stands out for its exports of pitahaya and blueberries to China.

With 2025 approaching, new challenges for each of the fruit-producing countries are also expected, including conquering new markets, improving phytosanitary conditions and consolidating preference of consumers in different corners of the world.

Ecuador's soursop industry hopes to gain access to the United States, in addition to access to the Chinese market for avocados, mangoes and frozen blueberries from Peru.