Evolution of the sweet cherry industry in Chile

Abstract

The fruit industry is one of the most dynamic economic areas of Chile, positioning it as the leading exporter of fresh fruit from the southern hemisphere. During the last decade, sweet cherry (P. avium L.) production presents the greatest growth and profitability. Latest reports place Chile at sixth place within the world producers with 4.6% of global production. Chile follows Turkey (20.7%), the USA (16.4%), China (9,1), the Ukraine (9.1%) and Poland (8.3%) (ODEPA, 2015). However, Chile is the second largest sweet cherry exporter just after the USA, with 20 and 21% of the trade worldwide, respectively. The success of Chile as a fresh fruit exporter is based on the fact that our production arrives in the main consumer markets off-season with higher prices. Nowadays we represent 90% of the exported sweet cherry volume from the southern hemisphere. Competitors such as New Zealand, Australia and Argentina do not reach 10% each of the export market. However, the high price is an incentive for these countries to stimulate their own industry and become serious competitors to Chile (ODEPA, 2015). Good fruit quality is the most important aspect that will define our competitiveness in this future scenario, albeit the increasingly limited access to new cultivars could be a serious constraint. In response to this situation the Chilean fruit industry, supported by the state, have implemented their own breeding programs for sweet cherries.