The research conducted by Jaime Ovalle of ODEPA warns that the real change does not concern only the cultivated hectares, but also the age of the orchards, varietal renewal and the production potential that has yet to reach full capacity.
Chile’s cherry industry is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in the country’s entire fruit sector.
This is what emerges from the study “Evolution of cherry cultivation in Chile: varietal, technological and territorial changes”, prepared by Jaime Ovalle Reyes of ODEPA’s Department of Agricultural Information and Economics, which analyzes the evolution of the crop across the 2015-2025 cadastral cycles based on data from CIREN’s fruit-growing surveys.
The assessment is clear: the industry has not only grown in terms of area, but has also changed its geographical distribution, renewed its varietal portfolio, increased the level of technological innovation and is preparing for another major increase in production over the coming years.
The document highlights that, over the past decade, cultivation has undergone an extremely rapid expansion. The national area increased from 25,109 hectares in the first cycle to 77,766 hectares in the fourth, while the number of farms rose from 2,535 to 4,848.
At the same time, the average size of production plots has also increased, indicating greater scale and concentration within the sector.
This production growth has also been accompanied by a strong expansion in exports.
According to the study, shipments of Chilean cherries increased from 83,523 tonnes in 2015 to 694,889 tonnes in 2025, while export value rose from USD 514.1 million (approximately EUR 457.0 million) to USD 3.1796 billion (approximately EUR 2.83 billion) over the same period.
China represents the main driver of this industry, accounting for approximately 89% of Chilean shipments.
One of the most significant contributions of the study is its invitation to examine the evolution of cherry growing beyond the simple increase in cultivated area.
In its final considerations, ODEPA states that the crop has undergone a “large-scale transformation” in which territorial, varietal and technological changes converge.
The research argues that the increase in area alone is not sufficient to explain the sector’s new phase. The age of the orchards, varietal concentration and geographical distribution are reshaping the crop’s future production capacity.
The study warns that an analysis based exclusively on hectares could underestimate the changes ahead, since a significant proportion of the area still consists of young orchards that have not yet fully expressed their production potential.
From a territorial perspective, cherry cultivation is highly concentrated in the central part of the country. The regions of Maule, with 32,801 hectares, and O’Higgins, with 29,935 hectares, together account for 80.7% of the total national area surveyed.
Much further behind is the Metropolitan Region, with 6,156 hectares.
The study also identifies particularly significant growth rates in several regions. Between the first and fourth cycles, Valparaíso recorded an increase of 381%, O’Higgins 245%, Biobío 214% and Maule 195%, confirming the intensity of the crop’s expansion across the country.
However, expansion is not limited to regions traditionally suited to fruit growing. At municipal level, the document highlights how new municipalities in the south-central and southern areas have progressively entered the cherry-growing map, particularly in La Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos, while in other areas the presence of the crop has declined.
This phenomenon demonstrates how the industry continues to seek new agroclimatic conditions and new production windows in order to maintain its competitiveness.
Another of the study’s main findings concerns the profound varietal renewal experienced by the industry.
Although the overall number of varieties has not declined, increasing from 95 in the first cycle to 108 in the fourth, the cultivated area has become progressively concentrated around a limited group of cultivars.
The three leading varieties increased their combined share from 57.3% to 76.2% of the national area.
The most evident change concerns the rise of Santina. While Lapins was the dominant variety during the earlier cycles, Santina has taken a clear leadership position in the two most recent periods, reaching 35.6% of the area in the fourth cycle.
The three dominant varieties in Chile are therefore currently Santina, Lapins and Regina, which together account for 75.9% of the national area.
ODEPA explains that this concentration responds to the requirements of the export market.
The document highlights that the three main varieties currently grown make it possible to supply the market throughout virtually the entire season, from late October through February, offering better fruit sizes and enabling growers and exporters to take advantage of more favorable price opportunities during the early stages of the season.
At the same time, some traditional varieties have lost ground. Brooks, for example, has recorded a sharp decline in regions such as Coquimbo and Valparaíso, while Corazón de Paloma Blanca has also reduced its presence.
By contrast, Santina and Regina have gained ground in virtually all regions, consolidating a progressive standardization of the national varietal landscape.
For growers and exporters, one of the most strategically important findings of the study concerns the age of the orchards. ODEPA notes that cherry orchards in Chile are predominantly in the early stages of their productive development.
In the fourth cycle, the weighted average age of the orchards is 7 years, while 78% of the total area consists of orchards that are 9 years old or younger, meaning plantations that are still developing or whose production levels are still increasing.
The consequence is immediate: production potential will continue to increase even if not a single additional hectare is planted.
The study specifies that approximately 29,900 hectares are currently in a phase of increasing production and another 30,700 hectares are still under development, while the area currently in full production amounts to approximately 16,600 hectares.
In other words, a significant part of the industry has not yet reached its stage of full production maturity.
This scenario creates new opportunities, but also involves certain risks.
The study warns that, as these young orchards enter full production, the sector could face growing pressure on destination markets, with the risk of oversupply and consequent downward pressure on prices if demand does not increase at the same pace.
Technological modernization represents another defining feature of the new phase of Chilean cherry growing. According to ODEPA, 95.2% of the area planted with cherries now uses modern irrigation systems, mainly drip irrigation and micro-irrigation.
In particular, the document refers to the “definitive predominance of drip irrigation”, a system that now covers 87.2% of the irrigated area.
By contrast, furrow irrigation declined from 19.3% in the first cycle to just 4.3% in the latest survey.
This transition confirms how the industry has moved toward greater efficiency in the use of water resources, improved control of nutrition and greater production optimization.
Despite varietal concentration, the study points out that standardization does not mean the disappearance of territorial differences.
Santina dominates mainly in the central zone, while Regina becomes more important in the south-central and southern areas, suggesting that agroclimatic conditions continue to play a decisive role in production specialization.
At municipal level, Santina is the most widely grown variety in 69 municipalities, Regina is the leading variety in 48 and Lapins in 34, outlining a new geography of Chilean cherry growing that is much more concentrated around a limited number of varieties while still being strongly influenced by the production conditions of different territories.
The ODEPA report sends a very clear signal to the fruit-growing sector: the cherry industry has not yet fully expressed its entire potential.
The country has already consolidated enormous territorial and export expansion, but the real pressure on supply could emerge over the coming years, when thousands of hectares of young orchards enter full production.
For growers, exporters, consultants and nursery operators, this scenario requires increasing attention to variables such as market diversification, logistics efficiency, varietal management, post-harvest handling and commercial strategies.
Chile’s cherry industry continues to grow, but it is also entering a phase in which managing success will be just as important as achieving the expansion itself.
As the study concludes, the main change does not concern only the number of hectares currently cultivated in Chile, since the evolution of the crop “goes beyond simply increasing the cultivated area”.
A statement that effectively summarizes the current phase of the industry: more complex, more technological, more concentrated and, at the same time, characterized by new challenges for the next stage of its development.
Read the full report here
Source: https://www.diariofruticola.cl
Image source: Stefano Lugli
24 Jan 2025
Cohn said that despite the challenges faced by tart cherry growers—from price fluctuations to rising production costs and the impact of climate change on the industry—there are several positive trends to highlight in the sector.
16 Sep 2026
A study in Western Poland examines how wild cherry (Prunus avium) responds to temperature and rainfall. Tree-ring growth highlights the species’ potential for dendrochronology, dendroclimatology and climate research, while showing marked differences among local sites.
05 Oct 2026
Bumblebees can carry bacteriophages directly to cherry blossoms, helping reduce Pseudomonas syringae populations. A University of Warwick study highlights a targeted biological approach that could support cherry grower while reducing reliance on conventional pesticides.
05 Oct 2026
Chile’s cherry industry is entering a new phase: 77,766 hectares, young orchards and major varietal renewal. An ODEPA study shows how Santina, Lapins and Regina, together with drip irrigation, could support a further increase in future cherry production across Chile.
