Chile is established as a preferred source during the southern hemisphere season. Now that goal has been achieved, what is the overall aim of the industry and what role will the CFFA play in taking the industry forward?

Chile has a very good reputation, not only in the commercial field but also in production and technical issues.

We have taken advantage of our natural conditions that allow us to provide customers around the world with a larger array of products for a longer period of time than any of our competitors. We have also shown that, as an industry that is very competitive, we have enough flexibility to work together when it is needed - not only on common issues but also in the commercial field.

We are recognised globally for our compliance with market requirements and, of course, what we have to do is ensure that the industry never does anything to harm that reputation. That requires professionalism throughout the industry and the CFFA’s part in that is to provide the most up-to-date information to our members, to keep them abreast of international developments.

What are the major challenges for the Chilean fruit industry in the short, medium and long term?

We have many challenges. The biggest internal challenge in Chile is the ongoing aim of getting growers and exporters to accept and become accustomed to the changing ways of doing business around the world. That is a very important subject for the CFFA.

If you go back 10 years, there was no industry approach to deal with a global procurement system - there didn’t need to be. But with the concentration of buying power, there are now fewer people to deal with and they are far more powerful. It has made life difficult in some aspects of production and distribution and depending on how companies handle it, doing business can be much more costly than it was a decade ago. So we at CFFA have to act extremely carefully and use the scarce funds wisely.

There have been a raft of public and private sector regulations and standards brought in during the last few years and it would be very helpful to see more harmonisation of regulations, Maximum Residue Levels, Good Agricultural Practice programmes and traceability requirements. Often there is no obvious commercial recognition of the difference between a company that complies and one that does not, and that counteracts the whole system.

Exchange rate fluctuation is another big challenge and the Chilean industry is always learning how best to deal with that.

The only way to ensure that you are in a solid position is to continually work in the areas of productivity and research, to ensure that you are as efficient as possible.

We provide training to improve production methods, harvest techniques and post-harvest handling. But we are also involved heavily with research and the hunt for the varieties of tomorrow.

It is not always easy to speak about the things you have achieved, but we have achieved a lot. We were a world leader in introducing our own GAP programme. We were also the first industry to seriously tackle the traceability issue and the first to warn the world of the dangers of a lack of harmonisation of standards and regulations. We will continue to work on all of those matters that are important to our industry.

Is there still significant growth potential for Chilean fresh fruit exporters? If yes, where are the major areas of opportunity and which categories represent the most likely winners?

We saw the immense potential in berries, and particularly the blueberry market, and have invested in a promotional campaign. Chile also has great possibilities in avocados.

The UK is a key target for that sector, but we also think there is more to be achieved on the continent. It is a very important product, with at least 50 per cent more production coming through in the next five years.

We grow some excellent exotic lines in Chile. I would love to be in the position to send cherimoya to Europe, as it has a wonderful taste and aroma. But the product just doesn’t perform well in transit. We are also seeing expansion in our organic offer, across all of our crops. It is a natural progression for the industry and growers are doing it off their own back and investing in their futures.

Looking at the UK in particular, how do you feel the market is performing for Chilean fruit?

The UK is obviously an important market for us. It has particular issues and Chile has been sufficiently flexible to adapt to the specific market conditions as they have evolved.

We quickly responded to the demand for GAPs in a practical way and we have taken on board all food safety concerns and increased our focus on the environment, corporate and social responsibility and other matters that are important to UK customers. Having such firm relationships with the UK market has enabled our exporters to take a position of leadership as the procurement system globalises.

With more than 50 per cent of Chilean fruit sent to the UK pre-programmed before the season begins, our exporters have developed the capability to not only plan thoroughly, but also supply large volumes of fruit of a consistently high quality over long periods of time.

Does the UK represent a good return on investment for exporters, in terms of both effort and money?

The UK is a profitable market for Chilean exporters, but when you analyse the value of a market, it is not just the profit potential you must look at. What exporters are looking for is certainty in their business relationships and the length of the agreements, and the strength of the relationships that have been built up with the UK give them that.

Do you believe that climate change will have a major impact on the seasonality and sourcing patterns of the fruit industry?

Climate change is an important issue everywhere in the world and Chile is no exception. In the last two seasons, we have encountered problems due to rain at surprising times in the season.

We expect there to be a change of environment in the future due to global warming and there is every chance that some areas to the south of the Atacama desert [in the north of Chile] will become less fertile and some of the colder areas [in the south of Chile] will get less rain, become warmer and offer new opportunities to producers.

So it will work both for us and against us, but we do have natural advantages like the Andes mountains, which give us a constant source of water. We will build more reservoirs and control the flow of water better to suit our needs.

As the industry never stands still, where do you foresee the greatest competition for Chilean fruit in Europe company from in the next five to 10 years?

In South America as a whole, it is not easy to predict what will happen. The continent has traditionally taken a short-term view of many things, but we have seen that changing in recent years.

Peru is a good example of the progress being made in the fresh produce industry and is competing with us in our early season. But competition does not worry us. There is an argument that says if there is more good quality fruit available, the consumer will get accustomed to eating more and everybody will benefit.

Is Chile an irreplaceable source for UK importers and their eventual customers?

Chile is in a very strong position, but it is prohibited to think that we are irreplaceable. That would mean our development would slow down and that cannot be permitted.

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