Luis Schmidt, president of FedeFruta

Ronald Bown, president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association

All of us want to live healthy and productive lives, nourished by the nutrients found in fresh fruit. In order to do this, it is essential to consume fruit that is fresh, that has been handled safely and produced under the best of conditions.

Chile is a country unlike any other on earth. Stretching north to south for 2,600 miles the nation extends through several climactic zones, from the hot arid desert conditions in the north to the cold Antarctic influences in the south. The country is safely sheltered by its borders, which form natural barriers to insects and disease. These conditions create a sanctuary of sorts for the flourishing of its wide variety of fruits.

In addition, the country's commitment to clean and vigilant agricultural practices makes for a high quality fresh fruit that is blessed with a uniquely long harvest season. Chile is known for its wide array of fruits including table grapes, apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pears, stone fruits, persimmons and avocados.

Chile has 7,000 fresh fruit producers harvesting about 462,000 acres, approximately 435 exporting companies, and 1,300 importers in more than 70 countries around the world. Last year this sector produced 1.6 million tons of fresh fruits, or $1.6 billion in exports. The market destinations are quite balanced in the sense that 30 percent goes to the United States, 25 percent to Europe, 24 percent to Latin America and the rest to Asia and the Middle East.

According to Ronald Bown, president of the 65 member Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (ASOEX for its Spanish acronym), which represents 85 percent of all fresh fruit exported out of Chile, the fruit sector has been growing significantly during the last decade and, to further expand, it has been implementing a worldwide marketing campaign.

The objective is to create an awareness of Chilean fruits and the natural conditions under which they are grown. This campaign is focused toward Europe, the USA, Japan and Korea. The other area in which ASOEX has been avidly focusing is related to security and good agricultural practices in order that the products and exports from Chile comply with international regulations in food safety and quality control procedures.

“What do I mean by good agricultural practices? Well, that our producers and exporters follow important steps to make sure that their products do not have residuals; that they respect the environment, and that they minimize the risks to human health. It is also important that they implemented rigorous quality control measures in operational aspects such as the packing process and the transportation of products to their final destinations,” emphasized Bown.

He also commented that the impact of having a free trade agreement with the United States would be measured as a way of clarifying the rules of the game because Chilean fresh fruits to the United States have very low tariffs. Such agreement establishes a prevailing open access and investment in the sector.

Click for larger map

The Fruit Growers Federation of Chile (Fedefruta) is a trade organization that represents the interests, both national and international, of fruit growers. Within its membership are 23 fruit associations throughout the country and 1,000 direct members. For Luis Schmidt, president of Fedefruta, the fundamental item of his agenda and that of his fellow sector leaders, is making sure that the rules of trade are transparent and that they are not unjustly accused of anti-dumping practices.

Given that Chile is uniquely situated with its long stretch of coastline and modern air and seaport facilities, fruit is exported fresh through this sophisticated, fast, efficient fruit transportation network. Chilean fruit is almost always sent to port within 24 hours of being picked. It is then shipped either by sea, a 10 to 12 days trip, or overnight by air. In either case, the fruit is carefully handled and protected against damage with keen quality control measures in place in order to ensure that it arrives in stores at the peak of its freshness and flavor.

Many fruit producers and exporters are implementing the latest technology in order to become more competitive in the international arena. This involves innovations in technology and agricultural practices. For instance, Agricola Brown has developed a greenhouse where it develops new grapevines that might be suitable for Chilean soil and for exporting.

Given its length and geographic position, Chile produces an immense variety of fruits in diverse climates that are available year-round. Chile’s fruit sector provides summer fresh fruits to countries in the northern hemisphere even during the middle of winter. It also provides winter fruits, on those hot summer days in the north- perfect for any post-seasonal craving.