Chile has shipped a higher proportion of its clementines than normal to the U.S. West Coast so far this season, according to Capespan North America CEO Mark Greenberg. 

In a market report, he noted that the country has shipped 42% of the total clementine tonnage to the West Coast through week 20, compared to 27% last season.

However, Chile's reliance on the U.S. market has not changed, with more than 99% of its clementine loadings worldwide sent to the destination.

Greenberg said the Chilean clementine harvest has started slowly in comparison to last year’s crop but has now gained its stride, with loadings increasing substantially over the last three weeks. 

Shipments through week 18 were 22% down year-on-year, but since week 19 tonnage shipped is almost 8% higher than last season at the end of week 20, he said.

Peru’s contribution to the early easy peeler market has come largely in the form of early clementine varieties such as Primasoles and satsumas - varieties that did not tend to find wide acceptance in the U.S. market, according to Greenberg.

But he said they are having a good run this year in light of the early departure from the market of California’s late mandarins. 

Peru has focused these early shipments on the East Coast where it has shipped 288,000 boxes of clementines (mostly Primasoles) and over 80,000 boxes of satsumas.

Peruvian shipments to the West Coast have been substantially lighter with only very modest volumes of early easy peelers headed to California.

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