India is expected to grant access to Chilean blueberries in the next few months following the finalisation of a protocol this week.
The technical aspects of the protocol were settled yesterday, according to Chilean officials, and formal access is expected to be granted in July during the next round of discussions regarding Chile's preferential trade agreement with India.
'In India we are today finalising our deals in regards to blueberries,' Ronald Bown, president of the Chilean Exporters Association (ASOEX), told Fruitnet.com yesterday.
'The technical matters will be finalised today, and the official signing will be sometime in next two months.'
Chilean sources told Fruitnet.com the new blueberry protocol does not contain any difficult or unusual phytosanitary requirements.
The deal is an extension of the preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries, which already covers over 300 imported Chilean products.
'We're working on the advancement of the PTA with India,' explained Mario Artaza, head of the Asia and Oceania department for Chile's General Directorate of International Economic Affairs. 'India has 300 plus Chilean products `covered under the agreement`, and we want to increase that to 900.'
As part of the deal, Chile is also authorising access to Indian mangoes, said Mr Bown.
The modernisation of India's retail sector and the associated upgrades in the distribution network are opening up opportunities in the market for Chilean products, he said.
'India is 35-45 days from Chile by ship, and most of our fruit is going by vessel,' Mr Bown explained. 'So you need to have very good control of the cool chain to receive the fruit in good condition.'
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