The ASOEX Chilean Cherry Committee held, for the second time, the “Cherry Blossom” celebration, which officially marked the start of the 2022-2023 cherry export season.

The celebration was attended by the Ambassador of China to Chile, Niu Qingbao, and his wife Yuan Jun;  the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela; the President of ASOEX, Iván Marambio; the Mayor of Romeral, Carlos Vergara; the President of the Cherry Committee, Cristián Tagle;  the acting Director General of ProChile, Paulina Valderrama; the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Agriculture for the Maule Region, Ana Muñoz; as well as other national and local agricultural authorities,  growers, cherry exporters,  representatives of shipping companies and port terminals,  along with the presidents of Fedefruta, Jorge Valenzuela, and the SNA, Cristián Allendes,  leaders of the Fruit Growers’ Roundtable and professionals from ASOEX,  the SAG and the Embassy of China in Chile.

The “Cherry Blossom” event took place at the Ana María orchard in Romeral, in the Maule Region, owned by cherry grower Jaime Crispi, who expressed optimism about the new season getting underway. The activity included a tour of the plantations, preceded by a few steps of cueca dancing. During the tour of the cherry orchards, the Ambassador of China to Chile and the other participants were able to see the trees in bloom, which augurs a season of very good production volumes and, therefore, exports.

In this regard, the Ambassador of China to Chile, Niu Qingbao, highlighted the importance of the Chinese market for Chilean cherry exports,  noting that this reflects the good political relations, cooperation and exchange that exist between the two nations. “I am very honored to take part in this celebration. The export of Chilean fruit is important not only for Chilean exporters but also for Chinese consumers, which is why both sides want to join forces and do everything possible to solve any problem that may arise,” he explained.

He added that China is ready to receive the products of the new Chilean fruit season, especially in terms of logistics to avoid setbacks, but also in relation to the “Zero Covid” policy. “The measures China has taken have proven very effective in controlling Covid. I believe that for the coming season we can continue with our policy without affecting the export of Chilean cherries to China. As for logistics, we will do everything possible to guarantee the smooth flow of exports,” Niu Qingbao clarified.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, observed: “The Chilean cherry industry is, strictly speaking, a Chilean-Chinese endeavor. China is a very important ally for Chile; even despite last season’s difficulties, our trade with China reached more than 2 billion dollars in cherry sales alone, so this season — which has brought a good amount of rainfall and favorable weather conditions — we hope to exceed that figure, perhaps coming close to 3 billion”.

“There is confidence, both in the traceability of our cherries and in what the Ambassador mentioned a few minutes ago about collaborating to avoid  the difficulties that could arise in logistics, at the ports, which is very important for our fruit exports”, the minister added.

Meanwhile, the president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex), Iván Marambio, in addition to highlighting that cherries have become the leading export fruit of Chilean fruit growing in terms of value, said: “Ninety percent of cherry exports go to China, so it is a very important market for our exports, but it is also a fruit that Chinese consumers look forward to enjoying given its great quality and flavor. We hope this new export season will be very successful, and to that end we have been working jointly with the different players. In fact, this event brings together representatives of trade associations, authorities, logistics operators and union leaders,  and we are all aiming for the same goal: a very good season for cherries and all  Chilean fruit, because the country needs it”.

Marambio also underscored the importance of having smooth logistics for exports of cherries and Chilean fruit in general: “We have been working very hard with all the operators in the logistics chain to ensure that, as far as Chile is concerned, the logistics issues and the bottlenecks we faced last season are overcome. We have taken part in the Government’s Collaborative Logistics Plan. To that end, we have submitted to the authorities 16 measures that we believe need to be implemented in the short term to improve the chain. We are also working in China and other destination markets so that the congestion that affected our exports last season can be overcome”.

Along the same lines, Cristián Tagle, President of the ASOEX Cherry Committee, pointed out that although this is a challenging season, especially given last year’s logistics experience,  “this  season we are better prepared, both in Chile and in China, to arrive in better shape. We believe it will be a better season logistically. We see better capacity at the ports than last year. We have been in permanent contact with everyone involved in the logistics chain, working toward an excellent season”

Chilean efforts also go hand in hand with phytosanitary matters. Miguel Canala-Echeverría, General Manager of ASOEX  highlighted the work that ASOEX and its Cherry Committee have carried out with the Chinese health authorities and the SAG to prevent any setback that could interrupt normal shipments to China. “We have been working seriously to establish and comply with all the protocols  that will allow us to have a normal season, especially considering that exports grow with every season. During the 2021-2022 season, Chile exported 356,348 tons of cherries to the different markets of the world. Of this figure, 313,237 tons were shipped to China”, he observed.

Having fruit with the right quality, safety and sweetness, a smooth logistics chain  and favorable weather conditions are key, as are promotions, especially to boost consumption of the growing volumes of Chilean cherry shipments.  This point was highlighted by Paulina Valderrama, acting director general of ProChile:”Cherries are the great ambassador of Chile’s export fruits. Thanks to public-private collaboration, our country is the world’s leading cherry exporter with 41.6% of the global market. ProChile and Asoex have been working for 7 years on the sector brand `Cherries from Chile`, which has contributed to this international positioning, with great success in China and other Asian markets. In this new season, we will continue working together to keep raising awareness of the attributes of this noble fruit”.

The Cherry Blossom celebration closed with a friendly luncheon, during which the ASOEX Cherry Committee presented the Ambassador with a gift consisting of a bronze handicraft,  along with its thanks for the presence of the Ambassador’s wife.

Finally, it is worth noting that the Ambassador of China to Chile, the Minister of Agriculture, the President of ASOEX and other authorities taking part in the “Cherry Blossom” celebration attended the second edition of the Romeral Cherry Expo, a fair that brought together experts who presented on various topics related to cherry growing, as well as an exhibition area with providers of services and products for this crop. The event was held in the commune’s Plaza de Armas and was aimed at growers, companies, research centers, public and private organizations, and other players and leaders of the fruit-growing world, and of this rich and important crop for Romeral and Chile: the cherry.

Source: Portal Frutícola