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Our 4-day visit to Curico in Chile revealed a sophisticated apple & cherry industry that is intimidating in size! Just like the Aussies, Chileans are innovative, enthusiastic and like to dream big! Many orchards are covered with nets and rain cover.
To put matters in perspective:
Chilean cherry harvest in 2022-2023
· 61,559 hectares of cherry growing area (only 65% of these in production)
· 471,000 tonnes production
· Export 425,398t
· Industry grew by 20 per cent in 12 months
Australian cherry harvest in 2022-2023
3,177 hectares of cherry growing area
15,114 tonnes production
Export 2,879 tonnes
80 % domestic consumption
30+ Australian Cherry export market destinations.
Although the cost of labour is a difficult area to compete, it is clear that Australia can leverage other aspects of the industry to get ahead of South American growers when it comes to export. Proximity to Asian markets is an obvious place to start - In Chile, the travel time is 21 days between ports. Chilean growers are therefore selecting varieties with the shelf life of fruit as the number one consideration which could risk other attributes. Australia can get fruit to market faster and prioritise flavour.
There is no doubt Australia has an unrivalled reputation for clean and green produce and this is where the opportunity for a powerful marketing strategy and strong relationships are key.
We visited substantial plantings of Sweet Aryana and Sweet Lorenz which featured great size above 30mm, flavour, high brix, uniform colour and firmness.
Get in touch with Chris to learn more about varieties
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