Over the last two decades, the acreage devoted to fruit cultivation in Chile has recorded sustained growth, reaching a total of 375,000 hectares. The Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA) revealed that since 2003, the only year with a decrease in the growth rate was 2014, when the acreage remained below 300,000 hectares. This growth is largely due to the boom in cherry cultivation, which has seen an increase of 45,300 hectares. However, crops such as pears and apples have seen their acreage fall by 6,595 hectares in the last twenty years.
Between 2004 and 2012, the acreage devoted to fruit-growing remained relatively stable. This was followed by significant growth between 2013 and 2016, driven mainly by commercial pear plantations. However, since 2016, pear production has been declining in the international market, leading producers to start abandoning these crops. As a result, by the year 2022, Chile had 5,870 hectares devoted to pears, exporting more than 116,000 tons and obtaining approximately 124 million US dollars for those shipments, according to data provided by Más Producción.
Source: redagricola.com