That’s right. FRUITTRADE, one of the most important event of the fruit and vegetable business in the Southern Hemisphere, that annually brings together international buyers with Chilean farmers, will launch its newsletter. 

This way we hope to provide you with the latest news from FRUITTRADE, as well as information of interest related to the Chilean fruits and vegetables sector. 

FRUITTRADE is a platform organized by the Fruit Growers Federation of Chile (FEDEFRUTA) that permits both buyers and fruit and vegetable growers to organize business meetings in advance with their counterparts through the web site (http://www.fruittrade.cl), which are then carried out during the days of the event at the agreed upon times.

But that’s not all. FRUITTRADE gives foreign business people the possibility to find out about investment opportunities, thanks to the InvestChile platform sponsored by the Chilean state agency, CORFO. In addition, those who participate in FRUITTRADE may attend, free of charge, the discussions which take place at the National Convention of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and take a look at the exposition of products and services destined to the fruticulture industry.

Find out more about FRUITTRADE

The fruit and vegetable buyers who attended FRUITTRADE 2009 were satisfied. According to a survey taken by the participants, 71% of the buyers consulted indicated that they had been to previous versions of the event and had made business deals thanks to the meetings they held. 100% of the buyers consulted, meanwhile indicated that during FRUITTRADE 2009 they established solid contacts for the purchase of fruit in the following seasons. It’s not unusual, then, that 94% of the buyers surveyed confirm that they will participate in FRUITTRADE 2010.  

The buyers placed emphasis on the organization and the possibility to make direct contact, in a single location with dozens of Chilean growers/exporters of diverse fruits, who they considered to be serious business people.  

 

The Fruit Growers Federation of Chile (FEDEFRUTA) has decided to celebrate, in grand style, its 25th Anniversary of activity, at the end of 2010.  The festivities will take place during the VIII Version of FRUITTRADE and the XXIII National Convention of Fruit and Vegetable Producers.

As part of the festivities, the organizers of FRUITTRADE have announced that they will award a total of two prizes from among the buyers whose valid registration is received before July 31st:
-A Round-trip ticket to Chile (up to US$2,000) and free registration to attend FRUITTRADE.
-A three night stay at the Sheraton Hotel in Santiago (not including dinners).

What are you waiting for? Register now.

 

If you’re ever shopping in a supermarket in the United States or England during their winter season, check this out: go to the section of fresh fruits, look for the bins with table grapes or blueberries and take note of the labels that indicate the country of origin. The fruit will probably be Chilean.

During the last 20 years the export of Chilean fresh fruit has tripled, going to more than 100 markets with close to 75 varieties of fruit. It is not unusual then that today Chile is the foremost exporter of fruit in the southern hemisphere, with shipments that total 2.4 million tons of more than 60 types of products, and is the number one exporter of table grapes worldwide.

How has this position been reached?

According to Rodrigo Echeverría, President of FEDEFRUTA,  “Chile is a country that has specialized in the production of fresh fruits for the world market, constantly striving to obtain quality fruit, satisfy diverse customers requirements and fulfill its commitments to the best of its ability. In addition, Chile is constantly amplifying its offer, and has been outstanding for its wide variety of high quality fruits all year long. These range from the classic table grapes, apples and pears to more specialized fruits like blueberries, cherries or avocado”.

 

The Chilean fruit industry is recuperating full speed ahead from the effects of the earthquake that took place on February 27th and the subsequent aftershocks. Even though the event caused damages on farms, ports, highways, electrical systems, communications and infrastructure, the exporting activity is already back to normal and the Chilean fruticulture industry is once again exporting its production.

Communications and electric energy have been reestablished, detours have been implemented on the damaged highways and roads, and the principal ports, with the exception of the Port of Talcahuano, are operating at full capacity or nearly so. Furthermore, the Santiago airport is totally operational.

The country’s geography also acted to limit the damage and facilitate the recovery. The earthquake principally affected the VI, VII and VIII Regions. There was only minor damage in the rest of the Regions, which permitted a rapid return to normality.

Therefore, and given that work is being done to repair the damage, the organizers of FRUITTRADE hope that by October, when the Anniversary celebration takes place, the earthquake will only be a bad memory.