Warm Winter weather in Chile's apple-growing regions led to poor flowering of trees. When trees did begin to flower, rain and cold weather further impacted the crop. Subsequently, apple production in Chile during 2013 is expected to be 15 percent less than it was last year. Low production has meant fewer exports this year, and while current apple exports are running at a third less than what they were at this time last year, total exports for 2013 are estimated to reach 708,000 tons, which would be seven percent less than what they were in 2012.
Likewise, bad weather affected both grapes and pears. A drought delayed the start of the grape harvest, which is likely to lead to a 15.7 percent decrease in exports. High temperatures during spring and summer also affected the volume and quality of pears. But with less fruit, the USDA report noted that prices have been higher, with prices for grapes expected to be 10 percent higher than what they were last year.