Tariffs on shipments of fresh, frozen and dried blueberries go down from 30 per cent to 10 per cent
Chilean exporters have welcomed the decision by the Indian government to reduce the tariff on imports of Chilean blueberries and cranberries.
As of 20 February, the tariff on imports of fresh, frozen and dried Chilean blueberries and cranberries has been cut from 30 per cent to 10 per cent. Canned or prepared cranberries will now have a standard tariff rate of 5 per cent, while similarly packaged blueberries will have a tariff of 10 per cent.
“This is very good news for our blueberry exports to India, since the Indian market has a special importance for Chilean exports,” said Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile. “This lower tariff for our blueberries makes us think about greater opportunities in India, a market that is expected to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030.”
Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Fruit Committee, said the decision was “very positive” and would “undoubtedly help facilitate the entry of this healthy fruit in a country with such great consumption potential as India”.
Despite its potential, India presents many logistical challenges for Chilean shippers. Armstrong said one solution would be for blueberry and cherry exporters to work together by loading both products in the same shipments and establishing joint promotional programmes in India.
According to Frutas de Chile, Chile exported nearly 30,000 tonnes of fresh fruit to India in 2022/23, of which blueberries accounted for nearly 120 tonnes.
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