Every year, the publication of the iQonsulting Cherry Yearbook marks a significant milestone in the cherry industry; this impeccable work, led by its Director Isabel Quiroz, is the clearest x-ray of what happened during the recent season.
On this occasion, we will refer to the quantity and destinations of Chilean cherries, two important antecedents that are well worth knowing in detail.
During the recent season, Chile exported a total of 415,398 tons of cherries, equivalent to 83 million 5-kg equivalent boxes traded. This, compared to the previous campaign, reflects an increase of 171 TP3T.
«The 2022/23 season of cherry exports from the southern hemisphere to the world reached a total volume of 428 thousand tons, which meant an increase of 161 TP3T in relation to the previous year. This expansion in shipments was triggered by the increase in production in Chile, a country that year after year adds new surface area, that enters into production or that increases in yields until reaching maturity», indicates the iQonsulting Cherry Yearbook.
Chile is currently the world's leading exporter of cherries, and indeed of the southern hemisphere, with a share of 971 TP3T of the total exported as a region and an upward trend for the coming seasons.
iQonsulting Annual Chart 2023.
Since the 2001-2002 season, the first recorded by iQonsulting, to date, Chile has gone from exporting 9,973 tons to more than 415,000 in the recent campaign.
But where did all this quantity of cherries go during the recent campaign? The main destination remains China/HK with 88 percent of the total, equivalent to 365,201 tons. Then, far behind is the USA with 31 TP3T, corresponding to 17,819 tons of cherries, 40 percent more than the previous campaign.
The rest of the Far East (Korea, Taiwan, others) accounted for 41 TP3T of the total, with 17,325 tons of cherries; 31 TP3T of the total (9,087 tons) was destined for Latin America (Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, others); and 21 TP3T for Europe (England, Holland, Spain, others) with 4,613 tons.
«The Far East continues to be the main destination for Chilean cherries with a share of 921 TP3T of the total exported (382 thousand tons)», states the iQonsulting Yearbook.
It should be noted that Chile exported 16 percent more during the recent season, compared to 2021-22, to the Far East; as for the North American market, there was a positive variation of 361 TP3T during 2022/23. The Latin American market also increased in volume, reaching an increase of 401 TP3T, a figure represented mainly by Brazil and Ecuador.
«The European market suffered a negative variation of 261 TP3T compared to the previous season. This market represents only 21 TP3T of all shipments from Chile", concludes the iQonsulting 2023 Cherry Yearbook.
