Chile prepares for 2024-25 campaign with export growth forecast at +35%

If in the last cherry season the industry exported more than 80 million boxes, for the 2023-2024 season it is forecasted to increase the volume and reach 115 million boxes. 

Claudia Soler, Executive Director of the Chilean Cherry Committee, stated: "We hope to reach 115 million boxes next season and 125 million boxes the following season. Therefore, we face the great challenge of incorporating 110 million Chinese consumers into the category over the next two years. It is important to continue to invest jointly in the Chinese market, a significant amount aligned with market needs."

But is the sector prepared for this increased volume? In an interview with Mundoagro, exporters agree that the key is to work with producers and invest in technology.

Andrés Nawrath, commercial director of Copefrut, stated that "at this time of year, the best preparation is to work closely with our producers to ensure an excellent product. Having high quality and consistency is crucial, especially when significant growth is anticipated. On the other hand, it is important that all improvements to our operations have been made to ensure a high standard of service."

Sebastián Rodríguez, commercial director of Verfrut, explained that they have been preparing for years with new investments in machinery to have sufficient processing capacity. "We are also preparing from a logistical standpoint to be able to handle early pickups and have containers to load everything we need," he explained.

Regarding the expected exports, Nawrath assured that "it is still too early to predict a number, as there are still several key stages to reach, such as cold hours accumulation, frost, spring rains, etc., which define the season. In any case, today's projection is a 30-35% increase compared to last year."

Meanwhile, Rodríguez indicated: "We expect to export about 85% of the total to China and 15% to other markets. This represents an increase in volume, as we should reach 3.5 million boxes compared to 2.2 million this year. This is a 60% increase."

New Strategies in China

To maintain the appeal to the Chinese consumer, it is essential to develop new strategies each year to adapt to changes in demand. According to a study by the Chilean Cherry Committee, Chinese consumers change their purchasing habits during the three phases of the season.

"For this reason, we must adapt our campaigns to these changes. In the past, consumers did not consider packaging as a purchasing factor; however, with the approach of the Chinese New Year, they view it as a relevant factor. Therefore, it is on these aspects that we need to incorporate and refine our campaign."

"And we cannot forget the young segment, where we have lost penetration. We need to recapture this segment and bring it closer to the category," emphasized the Executive Director of the Cherry Committee.

According to the commercial director of Verfrut, "it is essential to take actions to promote greater customer consolidation and thus an increase in volumes. Similarly, together with importers, marketing in key markets, retail stores, and also secondary markets within China," he added.

According to the commercial director of Copefrut, China is a fairly mature market in terms of marketing, so it is likely that innovations will come from the logistics side. "Exploring new distribution channels, ports, and cities where the presence is weak will be one of the major challenges in China," he highlighted.

Market diversification is a constant concern that exporters have been developing for several years. "The issue is that the scale of alternative markets is much smaller compared to China. Today, probably the most significant market extension is within China itself, where there are still provinces with large populations and cherry penetration is still low," Nawrath indicated.

The Challenges

For the new season, the sector is facing several challenges, such as climate and pests. According to Rodríguez, "the challenges for the next season involve the climate (spring frosts), available labor, and processing capacity (available machinery). We must also consider that with cold hours there should be a significant fruit set. Therefore, the challenge of thinning and sizing will be crucial in the next season."

For Nawrath, one of the major challenges will be managing the fruit fly outbreak that could affect the sector in the coming season. "This detection is not an entirely new problem, but it is for the area currently affected and which concentrates a significant volume of the sector. Today, it is a priority issue that sees us engaged to be up to the task," he concluded.

Source: Mundoagro
Image: Mundoagro

Cherry Times - All rights reserved