Southeast Asia, India, and North Africa are strategic markets for Frutas de Chile. Diversifying destinations is highly relevant for the Chilean fresh fruit sector. More than 90 million people consume fruits of Chilean origin every day.
"We are very interested in Southeast Asian markets. It is a region with more than 600 million inhabitants, with growing economies, driven by a thriving middle class that appreciates the consumption of fruit and other imported products. We are seeking agreements that favor our fruits in these markets. At the end of 2024, we visited Indonesia with the Agriculture and Livestock Service and held important meetings with managers and technical professionals from Indonesia's Quarantine Authority (IQA). The meetings with Odepa's agricultural and professional attachés, such as the one we recently held with Patricio Rivera, Indonesia's agricultural attaché, enhance this work and let us know the progress made on issues of interest to our sector," stated Miguel Canala-Echeverría, Frutas de Chile's general manager.
Indonesia, with a population of around 300 million, is Asia's sixth destination for Chilean fruits. Forty-eight percent of the population is younger than 40, has an improved standard of living, and prefers imported products. Chile was the first nation in Latin America with which Indonesia signed a trade agreement, the IC CEPA. The treaty, ratified in 2019, allows the entry of Chilean apples, pears, kiwis, cherries, table grapes, and blueberries to Indonesia with zero tariffs.
Canala-Echeverría highlighted the efforts to advance the opening of Indonesia for fresh citrus, seeking Chile to be recognized as a country free of fruit flies. During an online meeting with Chile's agricultural attaché in Indonesia, progress was reported on technical data for lemons and the recognition of laboratories in Chile. IQA inspectors are expected to visit Chile in 2025 to verify processes in orchards and packing.
During the 2023-24 season, Chile sent 271,392 boxes of fresh fruit, mainly table grapes, to Indonesia. The Chilean sector has identified opportunities to increase exports and send new fruits, such as citrus fruits, to Indonesia given that this Asian country imports about 120,000 tons of citrus per year.
Source: frutasdechile.cl