Cherry plantations in Chile increased by 19 times in a decade

Cherry plantations in Chile had multiplied in the last 10 years.

 

The hectares planted with this fruit tree increased 25.7% year-on-year in 2022, from 46,960 to 61,559 hectares, according to data from the Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (Odepa). In 2009, the crops of this species occupied 12,468 hectares.

 

Currently, the cherry tree occupies 16.4% of the entire area of fruit plantations in Chile, followed by walnuts (12.3%) and table grapes (11.5%).

 

Odepa points out that in the year 2000, there were 3,241 hectares of cherry trees in the country, which means that from this date until today, the area of plantations has increased 19 times.

 

Chilean experts believe that the catalyst for this boom is the growing demand for cherries in China, the main destination for Chilean cherries. In the 2021/22 season, China concentrated more than 95% of Chilean exports.

 

Juan Pablo Subercaseaux, a specialist in Agrarian Economics, an academic at the Catholic University and a cherry producer, believes that another reason for this boom is that many fruit growers who previously specialized in apples and grapes, given the poor performance of their businesses, have switched to the cherry trees.

 

Odepa points out that of the 53,850 hectares of table grapes registered in 2011, currently 43,024 ha remain.

 

The red apple tree decreased from 29,052 ha in 2017 to 23,992 ha in 2022.

 

 

 

source: simfruit.cl