While Chile's two leading kiwifruit export destinations the U.S. and China saw reductions in volume this year, other markets saw big jumps including Russia, the U.K., France and India.

Statistics from Chile's Office of Agricultural Research and Policy (ODEPA) from January to September show total exports were down 2% overall year-on-year at 170,624 metric tons (MT).

Shipments to the U.S. were down 2% at 25,240MT, China's imports were cut drastically by 26% down to 17,518MT, and the Netherlands lost its spot as the top EU destination due to a 9% decline to 12,450MT.

Italy edged ahead to import slightly more than the Netherlands, while Russia bolstered its position as Chile's third-largest kiwifruit market with an 8% uptick to 14,009MT.

Meanwhile the U.K. surged through the ranks with a 49% rise in imports to reach 9,046MT, while increases were also seen in France (+42%; 5,883MT), India (+66%; 5,314MT) and Japan (+84%; 1,801MT).

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