Globally, it is expected that the supply of raspberry will fall 7% during crop 2008/09. Chile will be the second world producer of the species.
During the 2007/08 season, the international price of frozen raspberries recorded the highest level that can be remembered. Poor harvests in Europe and Chile explain the phenomenon.
For 2008/09, this situation will not improve substantially since for there are projections for Serbia and Poland, which are the main suppliers in Europe, of further falls in production.
In Chile, in the meanwhile, the shortage of supply will not be improved immediately, as new plantations are being recently established and droughts of early 2008 caused severe damage in some orchards. In spite of this, all indications show that Chile will continue to make progress as a producer and growing increasingly strong as the second producer in the world.
According to the information issued at the seminar: "Berries, a Growing Exporting Reality," which took place earlier this month in Talca, during season 2008/09 world production will reach to 305 thousand tons, 7% less that in the previous season.
This will result in a drop of 23% in the production of Serbia, 9% in Poland and 11% in Chile. These countries account for 58% of world production projected for the current season.
Until July of 2008, exports of frozen raspberries, which is the main way in which this fruit is exported from Chile, recorded returns of U.S. $ 109 million, historical record for this species.
Leadership
Over the years, Chile has assumed a leadership role on the world market of raspberries, a situation that is growing every day and that is likely to continue in the near future.
In 1999, Chilean producers created a group of countries producers of this fruit and conducted the first world congress of what is known now as the IRO (International Raspberry Organization).
In season 2008/09, Chile reach the second highest ranking of raspberries producers countries with 51 thousand tons, placing behind the United States and ahead of Serbia, Poland, UK, Canada and France, which are the main international bidders.
This position of prominence, reached momentarily, it warns will be a new season of shortage of fruit worldwide. However, new plantations are materializing from the trade results of last season, as well as technological improvements that are being introduced at the level of orchards and industrial plants, it is estimated that our country could be in a few years the world leader in production.
The particularity that highlights in this leadership is that raspberries are produced in Chile (and the world) by small farmers. As a result, exert leadership means being able to develop a chain of production and trade extremely complex, and our country has been able to show real capacity to do it.
Under this prism, it is essential that farmers who are joining today in the production of raspberries make their estimations based on the profitability of long-term cultivation and not for the exceptional price conditions that prevailed in the last year. The country has significant gaps in agricultural yields, improvement of good management practices in the cultivation and establishment of orchards. Once those shortcomings are corrected, it is possible to foresee efficient farmers more permanent profitability conditions which give feasibility to this productive alternative in the long term.
Source: www.chilepotenciaalimentaria.cl - Revista de Campo, El Mecurio, 03/09/08
