ProChile detected historical values in shipments of cherries, blueberries and plums, among others. Services, particularly ICT and maintenance and repair, also continued to grow.
Historical records for Chilean fresh fruit exports were recorded in the first half of 2024, revealed a ProChile analysis of shipments other than copper and lithium in that period, which shows the continued diversification of the national export basket.
An example is cherries, which had a historic season, with shipments of more than US$2.2 billion between November 2023 and February 2024, mainly to China.
During the first half of this year, the registration was more than US$ 1,961 million, an increase of more than 26% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Likewise, the exported value of blueberries reached US$ 403 million in the first half, an increase of 21.4% compared to the same period in 2023 and very close to the historical peak registered in 2021.
The main destination markets were the United States (which received US$ 172 million, 6.5% more than between January and June of last year), Germany (US$ 37 million, almost double the previous year's record) and the United Kingdom. United (US$34 million).
Plums also had a historic first half, with an increase in their export value of more than 40% compared to the same period of the previous year, up to US$ 308 million.
For their part, peaches and nectarines accumulated shipments of US$ 164 million, a 25% increase, with shipments mainly to China, the United States and Mexico.
Other relevant increases in the first semester were recorded in the export of kiwis (US$ 139 million, almost 13% increase compared to the same period of the previous year) and grapes (US$ 931 million, an increase of 17%).
"Chilean fruits have earned a space in the world for their quality, safety and flavor, and have boosted the entire agricultural sector, which this semester exceeded US$ 7,000 million in exports, almost 9% more than in the same period last year," said the general director of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández.
He added that "these figures show that the public-private collaboration strategy is giving results, with the work of the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations in the diversification and deepening of trade agreements, that of ProChile in promoting Chilean products and services and the of the export sector in having a quality offer".
Between January and June, shipments of more than US$22.5 billion in non-copper, non-lithium products and services have been exported, a figure that remains among the highest in the country's historical records, according to Market Intelligence data. ProChile, based on information from the National Customs Service.
SERVICES CONTINUE TO RISE
Along with fruits, the first semester also recorded records in services exports, which reached almost US$ 1,180 million, almost 30% more than in the same period of the previous year.
In particular, the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and maintenance and repair sectors increased their services abroad, with shipments of US$ 321 million and US$ 289 million respectively in the period.
"The export of services from Chile was already a record last year, with more than US$ 2,150 million, and this year it is heading for a new historical maximum. This reinforces the diversification of the Chilean export basket beyond traditional sectors, such as mining and food, and shows the growing added value of our shipments to the world," said Fernández.
