While Chile’s two leading kiwifruit export destinations the U.S. and China saw reductions in volume this year, other markets including the UK saw substantial upticks.
Statistics from Chile’s Office of Agricultural Research and Policy (ODEPA) from January to September show total exports were down 2% overall year-on-year at 170,624 metric tonnes (MT).
Shipments to the United States were down 2% at 25,240MT, China’s imports were cut drastically by 26% down to 17,518MT, and the Netherlands lost its spot as the top EU destination due to a 9% decline to 12,450MT.
Italy edged ahead to import slightly more than the Netherlands, while Russia bolstered its position as Chile’s third-largest kiwifruit market with an 8% uptick to 14,009MT.
Meanwhile the UK surged through the ranks importing almost 3,000MT more than in the previous season, representing a 49% hike to 9,046MT.
This was a rebound from a decline in 2016, however it was still 15% higher than the 7,860MT imported in 2015.
Increases were also seen in France (+42%; 5,883MT), India (+66%; 5,314MT) and Japan (+84%; 1,801MT).
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