CHILE: As the fruit season develops in the Coquimbo region, the impact on agricultural exports of the structural damage in the Port of Coquimbo is becoming clearer. We are referring to the severe damage at site 1, which has left only site 2 available for mining and agricultural exports and for the departure and arrival of cruises.
According to figures from the Fruit Exporters Association of Chile (Asoex) for the region of Coquimbo, since the start of the season in September fresh fruit exports have totalled 47,206 tonnes, a 8.5% increase compared to last season.
The president of Asoex, Ronald Bown, also said that, “to date, some 2,067 tonnes of table grapes have been shipped from the port of Coquimbo, which is 94% less than at the same date of the previous season.”
He added that, although no information is available regarding the ports preferred by producers to make their exports, “it is likely that a significant amount, estimated at 10,000 tonnes, has been shipped from Caldera and another 5,000 tonnes from Huasco.” The rest would have been shipped from San Antonio and Valparaiso.
Mr José Corral, vice president of the Sociedad Agrícola del Norte (Northern Agricultural Society- SAN), said that the main consequence of having to ship the productions from other ports has to do with transportation costs, because “the product has to travel more kilometres and this, therefore, will be reflected on the costs. Caldera is about 450-500 kilometres away and Valparaiso about the same; compared to Coquimbo, which entails that one or two extra days are needed before the fruit can be loaded onto the ship.”
Corral added that, over the past two weeks, there has been a consolidation of fruit shipments by air; “in fact, I’m loading 200 pallets via Pudahuel.”
Meanwhile, the manager of Terminal Puerto Coquimbo (TPC), Rodrigo Trucco, added that “at the Port of Coquimbo only cruises are given priority, as established in the Concession Agreement. The other ships are attended depending on the time of their arrival, regardless of whether they are loaded with fruit, minerals, cement or any other cargo.”
In terms of production, the vice president of the SAN is categorical: “There has been no increase in the production, but rather a reduction.” He explains that the fruit this year has reached lower weights and that the drop in production volume may be of about 20% compared to the previous season.
But this is not all; he adds that “there won’t be a noticeable impact from this year’s rains on the plantations,” because the plants were already damaged and many growers had stopped producing. “It is not a matter of irrigating and producing again overnight; those plants were already damaged,” he stressed.
As regards exports, the overview is a little different, since Asoex reported that shipments to date have increased by 8.5% compared to last season. The president of the association, Ronald Bown, added that “by the end of the season, the increase is expected to range between 10% and 15% thanks to the increased availability of irrigation water and the recovery of vines, citrus and avocado plants and trees.”
When it comes to prices, José Corral explained that, due to the reduced supply, “the market has been pretty avid for fruit, so prices have remained stable.” Productions in Copiapo, according to Corral’s estimations, may fall by between 20% and 25% and the first harvests in Vicuña could also show declines of between 10% and 20%.
