Cherries continue to provide good news for Chilean exports: according to the Non-Copper – Non-Lithium Export Report for January 2024 - prepared by ProChile's Market Intelligence Department with data from the National Customs Service - shipments of this fruit reached US$1,555 million, an increase of US$27.51 million compared to the same month of the previous year.
This figure is the highest recorded since 2007 and is the result of both an increase in export volume and an improvement in international prices.
It is important to note that nearly 931 TP3T of cherry exports recorded in January 2024 were destined for the Chinese market. In figures, these shipments represent US$1 TP4T1,447 million, which means a positive variation of 30.81 TP3T compared to the same month in 2023.
As usual, this export period coincides with the celebration of the Chinese New Year, a date on which consumers usually buy this fruit as a gift, as it is synonymous with good luck due to its red color that symbolizes good luck.
“Since its beginnings, exports of this fruit have shown an impressive evolution: 20 years ago we exported around US$$ 36 million worth of cherries and in 2023 the amounts reached US$$ 2,000 million, which implies an increase of more than 5,000%. Chile has become the main world supplier of this product and these figures reflect the talent, innovation and hard work of Chilean producers and the chain of suppliers associated with the activity. The challenge is always the diversification of markets,” comments Ignacio Fernández, General Director of ProChile.
Services continue to trend upward
In total, exports of Non-Copper – Non-Lithium goods and services in January increased by 3.71 TP3T, recording shipments of US$ 5.212 billion.
In terms of markets, the main markets were China (US$$ 2,021 million, -1.3%); the United States (US$$ 854 million, -3.6%); Japan (US$$ 345 million, +21.1%) and Brazil with US$$ 228 million (+22.2%).
In addition to cherries, products that helped drive the rise in Chilean exports to the world were salmon and trout (US$674 million, +US$17.91), fresh blueberries (US$202 million, +US$24.31), iron (US$197 million, +US$46.11), gold articles (US$126 million, +US$105.11), iodine (US$119 million, +US$38.51), fresh grapes (US$64 million, +US$103.71), and fresh peaches and nectarines (US$40 million, +US$79.31).
As for the export of services, the figure recorded in January reached US$$ 260 million, which means an increase of +73.7% compared to the same period of the previous year. The figure continues to consolidate the rise that the sector had in 2023, where a record amount of shipments of US$$ 2,153 million was recorded.
During January 2024, growth stood out in Maintenance and Repair Services (US$$ 63 million, +139.8%), ICT (US$$ 63 million, +43.4%), Research and Development (US$$ 23 million, +110.9%) and Financial Services (US$$ 23 million, +48.9%).
In total, the country's total exports during the first month of 2024 amounted to US$$ 9,896 million, showing an increase of +9.4% compared to the same period in 2023, driven by a higher volume in copper shipments.
Source: ProChile
