News about Chile

Following its most challenging season ever, the Chilean cherry industry is aiming to regain its former glory

Markets

29 Sep 2026

After a difficult season, Chile aims to relaunch its cherries in China through higher quality, reputation management and new commercial strategies. The industry is also looking to India and the United States, while rebuilding consumer trust remains the main priority.

Contracts, advance payments and trust: legal lessons learnt from a multi-million dispute in the cherry sector

Tech management

28 Sep 2026

In Chile, attention is growing around contractual risks in the cherry industry. Lawyer Álvaro Jofré examines advances, guarantees, due diligence, penalties and foreign investment, outlining safeguards that can reduce disputes, financial losses and legal exposure abroad.

How mineral fertiliser affects the quality of cherries

Tech management

25 Sep 2026

Sweet cherry nutrition and fruit quality: studies from Chile, USA, Spain and other countries show how nitrogen, potassium, calcium, boron, phosphorus and magnesium affect fruit size, firmness, soluble solids, color, cracking and postharvest storage performance.

The challenge of ‘lizard skin’ in cherries: can melatonin protect the quality of the fruit?

Post-harvest​

22 Sep 2026

A Chilean study on Lapins and Regina cherries tests melatonin before and after harvest: greener stems and delayed ripening, but no improvement in firmness and a higher incidence of orange peel disorder, limiting its technical and commercial use for long-distance shipping.

Cherries: management, a cool head and quick decisions

Tech management

21 Sep 2026

The 2025-2026 season confirms a new balance for Chilean cherries: lower returns, quality and sizing, tighter cost control and greater efficiency are now essential for growers seeking to protect margins, productivity and competitiveness in a more selective export market.

Covered cherry cultivation: a handbook on the establishment and management of cherry orchards

Covers

18 Sep 2026

Centro Fruticultura Sur will host a seminar in Chillán, Chile, on protected fruit cultivation, featuring two new publications on covered cherry production and European hazelnut physiology and management, with tools to address climate variability in modern orchards.

A new discovery from the University of Chile for controlling grey mould in cherries

Crop protection

15 Sep 2026

University of Chile researchers identified a Streptomyces strain from the Atacama Desert and Trench able to inhibit Botrytis cinerea. The FONDEF project with AgroFresh is now moving into direct fruit trials and edible postharvest coatings for fresh Chile export produce.

Measuring rather than estimating: what artificial intelligence can and cannot do in the cherry sector

Tech management

11 Sep 2026

Artificial intelligence is transforming fruit growing in Chile: computer vision, machine learning and data help measure quality, yields and waste, reduce errors and improve decisions from the orchard to packing lines and export markets, including cherries and other fruit crops.

Monitoring techniques for cherry trees: an essential and successful strategy

Crop protection

08 Sep 2026

With compressed prices and record volumes, cherry profitability in Chile increasingly depends on phenology, BBCH monitoring, leaf wetness and risk management. A data-driven approach helps growers protect fruit quality, exportable yield, margins and market competitiveness.

Volumes of frozen Chilean cherries have risen by 95 per cent, opening up new market opportunities

Processed

07 Sep 2026

Chilean frozen cherry exports grew 95% in volume between 2024 and 2025. According to Gonzalo Bachelet of Chilealimentos, the sector offers new opportunities to add value to fruit not sold fresh, diversify markets and support investment in the expanding frozen cherry sector.