A new historical record for cargo transfer was set by Terminal Pacífico Sur Valparaíso (TPS) in the export of cherries, reaching 213,206 tons transferred in the 2023-2024 season to date, which means 15% more than in the previous season, which had the highest record in Valparaíso, with 185,000 tons.
This way, the Lunar New Year, which will be celebrated in Asia on February 10, will receive the year of the Wood Dragon with this valuable fruit that symbolizes prosperity, good luck and abundance, becoming one of the favorite gifts by Asians.
The greatest increase in the transfer carried out by TPS in Valparaíso was in cherry in reefer containers, which increased 27% in relation to the previous season, with records of 211,810 tons versus 167,010 tons, respectively.
To date, 41 ships have shipped cherries from TPS this season, mostly destined for the Far East, which accounts for 96% of these exports; while the remaining 4% is concentrated in Europe and North America.
Oliver Weinreich, general manager of TPS, commented: “The current cherry season was a little longer than the previous one, which allowed us to have more high-capacity container ships on the direct route of this product to Asia. For our Terminal this is a great challenge, since at the peak of this period we had ships that moved historic quantities of cherries, particularly in January, with shipments of the order of 1,100 to 1,400 containers per ship, so this good result reinforces our commitment to Chilean fruit exporters and to the entire chain of the Valparaíso port system, as well as to providing an excellent service to all our clients so that they continue to prefer this port for their operations.”
Franco Gandolfo, general manager of Empresa Puerto Valparaíso, said that this historical record “of our concessionaire Terminal Pacífico Sur, which we value tremendously for the professionalism of all the people who make up this organization, and who are a fundamental part of this achievement, also proves the commitment, competitiveness and efficiency of the entire logistics chain of Puerto Valparaíso. Here, there is planning, coordination and a lot of effort from all the actors involved to be able to develop the demanding fruit season in the best way, and more specifically regarding the shipment of cherries to China, since there is a country image behind it that must be promoted, so obtaining this record has a double merit.”
Finally, Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Fruit Cherry Committee, commented: “This season, without a doubt, has been challenging, but we have managed to arrive with good volumes and quality of fruit to China, the main destination of our cherries. The Cherry Express have allowed us to shorten the arrival time, especially in the context of a season that started later and was extended more due to climatic situations. Our cherries are having great consumption and preference among Chinese consumers prior to the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated this February 10, therefore, we believe that this will be a good campaign.”
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