We spoke with several cherry producers from central Chile, who told us how they see the current season, the challenges and fears.
On October 26, six days later than in the 2021-2022 season, the cherry harvest began in Ovalle, the northernmost area of Chile where this fruit species is produced. In addition, the fruit harvest has timidly begun in the center of the country in the earliest areas and varieties and the best of the new cherry campaign has already arrived in China, concentrating all the attention and expectation, as usual.
Although there are producers who will be able to harvest early, arrive in China before the Chinese New Year and enjoy the benefits that this entails, it is estimated that this group should not exceed 20 percent of the total production of "exportable" cherries. Certainly, those who harvest before December 10-12 have a certain chance of being able to reach the Chinese market before the CNY, which in 2023 will be celebrated on January 22, 10 days earlier than in 2022, where there were already complications.
Mario Márquez, a cherry producer from the Curicó area (Agrícola Zapallar), is clear about the challenges of this season.
“Obviously it is a short race, we have to get the boats there before the Chinese New Year, which is 10 days earlier than this year. After the Chinese New Year, sales drop dramatically. This year we used all the techniques to bring forward the flowering and harvest. We are all competing. We have little time left to start the harvest and hopefully we will get there before the new year. If we don’t, hopefully prices won’t fall too much, but it is a short race.” Marquez said.
He is aware of what an early CNY means and says that they have made all the arrangements in the orchard to leave early and be able to reach their destination on time.
“Fortunately, I have an average climate. I always start on November 25 and finish on December 20. I start with Santina and finish with Regina, which is the variety that is in vogue and which is complicated. Fortunately, last year I did very well with Regina, in terms of price and volume, because I managed to get there just before the Chinese New Year and this year we are in advance with cyanamide, so we hope to repeat what happened last year.”, Marquez said.
We also spoke with Alejandro Saintard, a cherry producer who has 10 varieties in his orchards and is in the countdown to the start of the harvest: “We start on November 18th and finish on December 27th. We have to try to get out as early as possible this year. There is a Chinese New Year on January 22nd, so we have to try to get as much fruit out as possible before December 15th at the latest. We have other species, apples, wine grapes, we have to diversify to have a good year. We hope to have a good season, at least it looks more positive than last season.”
Carlos Bravo, a small cherry producer from the Pinchingal sector, Molina, has one hectare of the Lapins variety in full production; he is concerned about the current season: “We had the problem of uneven setting, so the problem will be in maturity, the growth of the fruit, that we only reach what the exporters demand, we have to start at 26 mm up to 32. I think that this year we will be late, last year we started between November 14-20,” the producer noted.
But his concern is not only about the uneven flowering and setting that his orchard has presented, but also about the commercial aspect: “Many of us producers are worried and I think it will be difficult, especially for the small ones, because the big ones are saved in one way or another; because a small one who does his own thing, who doesn't have frost subsidy, or those things, we have to 'crush' ourselves with our own effort; and the other thing, to whom do we sell it? I have a certificate, I have all my papers in order, but it is not convenient to sell it to exporters, because the liquidations are made in May and the delivery is made in December and it takes 4-5 months, so by obligation we have to sell it to intermediaries to have the resource." lamented Carlos Bravo.
Fernando Mansur, also a cherry producer, is clear that this season, in addition to the early Chinese New Year, logistics at the destination is a great challenge: “(This year) we are using strategies to bring forward production, but the most important thing is that China frees up the ports, the workforce, and improves its logistics. I have 100 hectares, I start with early (varieties) like Royal Dawn, Santina, then comes Bing, Lapins, Regina and Sweet Heart, I have the whole range; 50 percent of my production will be gone before December 15, which is the key date to be able to get there before the Chinese New Year,” the producer explained.
Although the realities of cherry producers in the central part of the country are different, depending on the varieties, size of the orchard, management, etc., they all agree that it is necessary to continue diversifying markets.
“In the last five years, we have diversified, but not as much as we would have liked. Outside of China, we are at 15-12 percent. The problem is that with the volume that Chile has, it saturates any market. In the United States and Europe, it saturates it immediately. But I think that in India, Singapore, there are many markets that have yet to open up and that is very interesting. I think that we should lower it to 60 percent and the rest of the world to 40 percent.” said Mario Márquez, a cherry producer from Curicó.
India, with its 1.357 million inhabitants, sounds like one of the favorite destinations for producers when it comes to opening new markets for Chilean cherries, however this eastern country lacks the necessary logistics, whether ports or roads suitable for the transport of a species as delicate as the cherry, among other aspects.
“We must exploit the Indian market, which is a very large market, we must diversify, that is the key today, the United States may have lower prices, but it is the only way,” said Fernando Mansur.
Asoex has been working on market diversification for several years now, efforts that have gradually borne fruit. Last season (2021-22) Chile exported 356,385 tons of cherries; 92.51 TP3T went to Asia (88.11 TP3T to China and Hong Kong), followed by North America with a share of 3.91 TP3T. Europe and Latin America only received 1.81 TP3T.
For this season, the Asoex Cherry Committee expects a 25 percent increase in cherry exports. In this way, Chile will send 89,353,878 boxes of fresh cherries (5 kilos) to the world, equivalent to 446,769 tons.
