Chile: the world’s export and research centre

Chile is the largest exporter of cherries in the world, with a record-breaking figure of 415,315 tonnes dispatched in the 2022-2023 season and a 16.5% growth compared to the previous campaign

In the September, 2022 USDA report it estimates that cherries are one of the productions with the largest growth worldwide due to the contributions by Turkey and Chile.

China is Chile’s top commercial stronghold. It exports 80% of its volume to this country. One significant fact is that 64% of the volume sold in China is concentrated in the three weeks prior to the Chinese New Year.

However, Europe, in the counterseason period, is an insignificant market, as Chile only sells 2% of its export volume to the Old Continent and 1% is exported directly to the United Kingdom. The Chilean industry is well aware that it must diversify, and Europe in the winter could be a good opportunity.

Although, if truth be told, the United States, as the natural market for the Chilean fruit, holds this development priority.

In Chile, 65% of the hectares are in full production and it has 62,000 hectares of the Regina and Santina varieties growing. China is maintaining an exponential growth of its demand, which has caused an average annual growth rate over the past seven years of 29%. In addition to China, the purchases from Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States are also recording significant increases.

Challenges for the Chilean production

In order to support the Chilean national industry with varieties that allow the production and export curve to be “flattened”, as well as having Chilean cherries that have a long post-harvest life, the Consorcio Tecnologico de la Fruta de ASOEX (ASOEX’s Technological Fruit Consortium), alongside the Catholic University of Chile, and supported by Corfo, are working together to develop varieties that adapt to the reality and needs of this Chilean production and export sector.

“Our main goal is to develop new early and late cherry varieties that adapt to Chile’s weather conditions and its commercial and logistics requirements, aimed at facing up to climate change, post-harvest and competitiveness,”

Marlene Ayala, director of the Cherry Genetic Improvement Programme (GIP) of the Technological Fruit Consortium, explained during her presentation at Macfrut this year. Ayala added that they are researching early varieties for October and the beginning of November and late varieties for harvesting at the end of January and February.

The researcher emphasised that, for the year 2030, they expect to have the first 100% Chilean cherry varieties, with the ideotype expected by the industry and the markets. With regard to the ideotype or characteristics that are being sought in the new cherry developments, Ayala indicated that “they have been defined alongside the industry, with the following aspects being outlined, amongst others: early harvest and late harvest (in order to become distanced from the mid-season concentration of harvest dates). Fruit weight: ≥10 grams; fruit size: ≥ 26 mm; fruit firmness: ≥70 durofel; sweetness: ≥17°Brix and with good breaking tolerance.

This Genetic Improvement Programme has managed to create a great bank of germplasm, which has allowed a large amount of genetic combinations of cherries to be carried out throughout the entire process. The seedlings are at the Pirque experimental and research station, close to the capital city, Santiago. They also have another field at the

San Vicente de Paul Agricultural School.

Real Chilean varieties

“The Chilean cherry industry needs its own varieties. Up to now, we have only been growing imported varieties. However, Chile needs a new germplasm adapted to our own weather, logistics and commercial conditions in order to maintain our competitiveness as the main exporter in the southern hemisphere,” the academic researcher comments.

Regarding her work as director of the Cherry GIP, she points out: “In 2010 we started an important development project of new cherry varieties at the ´Consorcio Tecnológico de la Fruta´, made up of the Association of Chilean Fruit Exporters (Asoex), several exporter companies and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC); and since then, we have been working on the selective improvement of varieties. We already are studying over 30 advanced grafted selections. Twenty-four of them have been evaluated regarding yield, quality and post-harvest life.”

The professional observed that at present there are around 81 second selection hybrids, chosen from amongst 1,000 individuals that were evaluated in the laboratory. Of these 81 selections, 36 have already been grafted and established in the fields and 38 grafted in pots, while the remaining seven will be grafted this year. Likewise, she revealed that there are 4 advanced selections, that is to say, with potential for becoming the first 100% Chilean cherry varieties.