Chilean Port & Airport Situation for Fruit Exports

Here is an update from one of our freight forwarders in Chile about the port and airport situation in CHile.

De nuestra consideración,


Junto con saludarlos, informamos el estado de operatividad de puertos, aeropuerto y servicios:

• Los puertos de Talcahuano, San Vicente y Coronel se encuentran sin operatividad alguna, hasta nuevo aviso. Existen daños en los puertos y en las carreteras que acceden a los mismos
English : PORT OF Talcahuano, San Vicente y Coronel. ports inoperative, structural damage and no access road
• El puerto de San Antonio, ha comunicado oficialmente que se encuentran evaluando los daños producidos por el sismo, no obstante las operaciones de recepción y entrega de carga se iniciarán mañana miércoles 3 de marzo, a contar de las 8.00 de la mañana.
English: San Antonio Port (main important) are evaluating damage caused by the quake, however the operations of receiving and delivering cargo on Wednesday will begin March 3,
• El aeropuerto C.A.M.B. se presenta sin operatividad para vuelos cargueros hasta nuevo aviso, operaciones cargueras suspendidas. Solo algunos vuelos cargueros de Lan Cargo operando a contar del día de hoy. Se espera demás aeronaves puedan operar a contar 03 marzo
English: International Santiago Airport Closed, only some Lan cargo can operate,


• Terminales de carga y frío - Aerosan opera con cámaras de frío, Sernapesca esta operando, aduana (recién retomando las operaciones), SAG/usda sin operación hasta nuevo aviso solo recepción de carga pre-inspeccionada de origen (oficinas con daños estructurales), se están haciendo inspecciones en Los Lirios (Rancagua)
English SAG/USDA- airport no availed, only on Rancagua facilities, 100 km, southeast Santiago
• El Puerto de Valparaíso ha retomado la normalidad en la atención de naves de carga y pasajeros, disponiendo en la actualidad de un 90% de su capacidad operativa, cuenta con 5 sitios de atraque operativos (sitios 1 al 3, 6 y 8), mientras que los 3 restantes están siendo sometidos a evaluación técnica. Las instalaciones en ZEAL, la ruta de acceso y los sistemas de información han funcionado normalmente.

English: VALPARAISO port operating normally
• El Puerto Terrestre de Los Andes se encuentra operando normalmente.


Adicionalmente adjuntamos información enviada por la Cámara Marítima y Portuaria de Chile

Desde ya , quedamos a su disposición.

Chile's Blueberry Crop Delayed

Below is a letter written by the Chilean Blueberry Committee to importers.

Colder season delays blueberry harvest in Chile by 2 to 3 weeks.

Due to a lower number of heat units this year in the main growing areas of Chile, far below a normal year, we are expecting a 2 to 3 week delay on the Chilean blueberry harvest and a lower overall season production forecast.

Promotional supply is now expected to arrive in the US Market not until week 1. Until then, we are not expecting to have enough fruit to carry the 1 pint clamshell as the standard packaging for this winter season.

The impact of the weather on the Chilean crop is still under detailed evaluation by growers, but one thing that is sure at this point is the fact that there will be no relevant volumes available in the market in week 51, as previously announced by the industry. Crop reports will be updated as the season moves along.

The projected increase on blueberry shipments to the US in 2010 dropped to 25% over last season, compared to the previously expected 35% growth. In terms of the number of boxes available in the market, there should be no increase at all, because of the bigger unit sizes preferred by the US consumers.

In terms of quality, one of the main priorities of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, early varieties being harvested so far have shown consistent, colorful and good size fruit, which is expected to continue during the whole season.

In spite of the reduced harvest, the Chilean Blueberry Committee has committed to fielding the full promotion support program for North America announced prior to the season.

Mexico Blackberries: Tupi Variety

Fall is here and if your like me you are busy getting ready for the holiday season and watching a little football. Even though the the fresh blackberry harvest in North America is complete, you don't have to wait until spring to enjoy fresh blackberries. Fresh blackberry production has grown exponentially in Mexico and it supplies North America and other parts of the world with blackberries from October through June. The two factors for the exponential growth of blackberries in Mexico are their many positive health attributes and the Tupi variety.

Positive Health Benefits:
According to a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, fresh blackberries contained the largest amount of Antioxidants per serving compared to other fruits, vegetables and nuts. In fact, blackberries ranked first ahead of walnuts, strawberries, artichokes and cranberries. Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional content of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid and the essential mineral, manganese.

Tupi Variety:
The Tupi blackberry is a hybrid variety, that is an offspring of the Comanche and Uruguai varieties. This variety is the main variety in Mexico. The Tupi variety produces large fruits with black and uniform coloration and a perfectly balanced flavor that hovers between acidity and sugar. Its long, uninterrupted growing season from October to June allows consumers to enjoy fresh Tupi blackberries long after the end of the growing season in North America.

So enjoy that crisp fall day watching football and snacking on some great tasting Tupi variety blackberries from south of the border. That is what I will be doing. Go Bears!

International Blueberry Organization

I attended the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) and the United States Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) meetings last week in Portland, Oregon. There was discussion about forming an International Blueberry Organization (IBO). To date an IBO steering committee has been formed consisting of representatives from the United States, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Australia, England and South Africa. In addition the committee has reached out to representatives in New Zealand, China, Japan and Korea.

The primary goal of the IBO would be to improve industry communication in the following areas:

1) Health
2) Production Research
3) Promotion
4) Food Safety
5) Blueberry industry technology

The first action of the steering committee is to form the IBO and then create by-laws that would govern the organization. In addition, they will develop a budget and recommend initial and on-going funding sources in order to accomplish their objectives. I am in support of the IBO considering blueberry production in the world is expected to reach 1.0 billion pounds in the next five years. The U.S. as well as other major producing countries like Chile are going to have to develop other markets and increase blueberry demand around the world in order to move the supply.

Someone once said, "Many hands make light work." With many countries working together to increase demand and open new markets across the world, it will take some weight off of the U.S. blueberry industry's shoulders. And hopefully that will help U.S. blueberry growers remain competitive in the future.

Blueberry Growth In Mexico

I heard that there was an increase in plantings of blueberries in Mexico, so a couple of weeks ago I decided to go see it for myself. Although there is no official number of acres in production, sources say that there are between 800-1,000 acres in the ground already. And from what I saw, there will be a significant more in the future.

The majority of the acreage under production is Biloxi variety, which is a southern highbush variety produced by the USDA in Mississippi in 1998. Biloxi is productive in low or no chill growing regions (less than 400 hours) where the bush can be grown fully evergreen. Well, according to what I saw on farms around the cities of Tuxpan, Ciudad Guzman and Sayula, blueberries will do just fine.

I toured farms with agronomists from Chile that have extensive experience growing blueberries. They are very optimistic about the future of blueberry production in Mexico. Companies farming blueberries in Mexico are targeting the April/May production window, which is the production window between South America and North America. During this production window there is not enough production to supply North America's appetite for blueberries and prices are generally higher. However, other growers say that they will have production January through March. If this is the case, then Mexico production will overlap with Chile and could potentially compete with Chile for North American market share.

From what I observed, I am optimistic that Mexico will be a significant player in fresh blueberry production in the future. Do I think that it will replace Chile anytime soon? No way. Grower's in Mexico are going to kill a lot of plants trying to figure out what varieties work well and what areas they grow best in, like we did in the U.S. But they will eventually figure it out. As a consumer, I am very excited; because I would much rather eat a blueberry that only took three days to get to my local market, than three weeks. I think Chilean companies realize that too. I visited a blueberry nursery in Jalisco State jointly owned by a Chilean company and a local government agency in Jalisco state. They are positioning themselves for growth and their newly built nursery has the capacity for up to 3.0 million blueberry plants or enough to plant over 1,500 acres.

In conclusion, blueberry plants are growing well in Mexico, Chilean companies have staked their claim and Mexico’s proximity to the U.S. market, leads me to believe that Mexico will be a blueberry force to be reckoned with in the future. If you don't believe me, ask the Chileans.