Chilean in-shell walnut exports rose 51% to hit 21,549 metric tons (MT) in the first half of 2015, while a positive growth trend was seen in the first three weeks of July as well.

Statistics from the Office of Agricultural Research and Policy (ODEPA) show Turkey continued to be the leading destination with 16,835MT in purchases, representing year-on-year growth of 87%.

Italy ranked second for imports of Chilean walnuts for the period, with growth of 24% to 2,263MT.

From July 1-23, Chile exported 4,118MT of the nut, compared to 3,685MT for the whole month in 2014.

The situation was different for shelled walnuts, which make up a much lower percentage of Chile's total walnut shipments. For the first six months of 2015, exports were down 11% year-on-year.

Italy, Brazil and South Korea were the main destinations for the processed product, each with a 13-14% share of imports; exports to Italy rose 74% to 575MT, while Brazil and South Korea saw falls of 25%.

Brazil used to be the leading market for shelled walnuts, but its participation fell from 30% to 17% from 2010 to 2014.

South Korea also reduced its imports of U.S. shelled walnuts during the period by some 20% year-on-year; in the East Asian country, the U.S. had 83% of the market, while Chile was the number two player with 17%.

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