Chile records sharp drop in citrus exports

Chile has registered a significant decrease in citrus exports this year. As the 2022 campaign draws to a close, Juan Enrique Ortúzar, president of the Chilean Citrus Committee, said drought in the Coquimbo region had led to a sharp drop in Clementine production.

At week 32, shipments totalled 41,832 tonnes, a fall of 39 per cent on the same period last year.

“The main problem has been the drought, especially in the Coquimbo region, where the orchards were badly affected,” Ortúzar noted.

“However, this year with the rains and accumulated snow, we expect a partial relief [from the drought] for the next season.”

Regarding markets, 98.6 per cent of the total shipment volume went to the US, of which 73 per cent went to the East Coast (29,928 tonnes), and the remaining 27 per cent to the West Coast (11,330 tonnes).

The remaining shipments were destined for Latin America (508 tonnes), Canada (65 tonnes), Europe (0.2 tonnes) and Japan (0.1 tonnes).