WASHINGTON: While Colombia may not have the buying power of North America or Europe, with a population of almost 50 million people it is still a significant market outlet for purveyors of non-tropical fruit. Colombia-shutterstock_223855105 map
However, in 2015 the South American country was certainly less prospective for its key foreign fruit suppliers – Chile, the U.S. and Peru. Apple exports to Colombia were down for both Chile and the U.S., falling at a rate of around 16-17% to levels of 75,593 metric tons (MT) and 13,423MT respectively.
All three countries reduced their table grape shipments to Colombia as well, with Chile seeing the biggest volume fall of 24% to 6,405MT, followed by Peru (-18% to 6,413MT) and the U.S. which had the biggest percentage fall (-63% to 1,731MT).
Chile had a bright spot in pears with exports up 14% to 22,214MT, but Colombia-bound shipments of the fruit tumbled for the U.S. (-61% tp 3,351MT).
The country also saw a boost in kiwifruit exports (+45% to 3,929MT) to Colombia but this was the product of recovery from a difficult 2014 season overall. Plum exports were up substantially at a rate of 51%, but at 1,616MT this is one of the least significant crops for the trade.
Meanwhile, Chile’s exports of peaches and nectarines to the Caribbean nation declined 9% to 2,043MT. Peru may have had a slightly higher volume of mandarins sent to Colombia – around 47MT more than in 2014 – but in tangelos exports fell 20% to 594MT and in mangoes and mangosteens the figure was 85% lower at 310MT.
