Cieplan Report: Cranberries among the four fruit species in which Chile is a world leader
According to the report, in 1986 the country sent abroad two products: grapes and apples. Now there are 20 Chilean fruit products that are exported worldwide.
The debate on the export basket continues to focus on the fact that the country has made little progress in diversifying it and that we are practically still dependent on copper or trading the same products. This vision is refuted by a report prepared by Patricio Meller and Pablo Parodi, from Cieplan, who point out that behind this phrase "there is a myth that everyone repeats: three decades ago we exported basically the same thing." To demonstrate that this phrase is a myth, they produced a report where they analyze the evolution of the fruit export sector.
In that sense, according to the report, in 1986 the country sent abroad two products: grapes and apples. Now there are 20 Chilean fruit products that are exported worldwide.
The report highlights that, additionally, in the increase in the number of exported fruit products there has been a significant expansion in the volume exported. “In currency of equal purchasing power to 2016 dollars, 1986 exported around US $ 300 million of grapes and US $ 200 million of apples; in the 2016 year that amount went up to US $ 1.300 million for the grape and US $ 600 million for the apples".
World leader
The report also shows that Chile has also become a major fruit exporter worldwide. Moreover, it stands out that in four products the country ranks first in exports worldwide. Among those products are grapes, cherries, blueberries and plums. In second place, products such as dried plums, raspberries and blackberries, edible fruits, stand out. “This is the correct way to measure competitiveness. The country is being productive in this type of products"Meller pointed out.
For researchers, a fundamental requirement to fill these positions is the use of modern technology. “Before the technology of fruit production consisted of using the ladder and scissors, today drip irrigation, cold chain system, packing, among others, allows that the fruit that is exported is not the same that was produced before".
For Meller, this report demonstrates that “the discourse that you have is not valid and that is what you should start to change".
Source: ASOEX Chile Blueberry Committee
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