Smartcherry TV, the channel of Smartcherry, the leading information platform on the cherry industry in Chile and the world, launched its new video reports section, where viewers will be able to learn about the latest news, trends and developments regarding the production of this popular fruit.
In the first episode called “The Perfect Storm”, the journalist Andrea Garrido visited different producers from the O’higgins and Maule regions -two of the sectors with the largest amount of cherries planted and in production in Chile-, who claim to be experiencing the worst season in years.
The reason? The presence of the “El Niño ” phenomenon, which has led to a lack of accumulation of chilling hours, floods, slow accumulation of degree days and spring rains. All these factors have left great consequences, from damage to orchards to losses of more than 50% in crops.
Raúl Salas, producer of Maule, had to face several episodes of late rains that led him to take measures to minimize the incidence of splitting due to rain. “I think it is the most difficult season that has ever existed and perhaps that will exist. We have not been calm this year, in every aspect of things […] and there are rumors that this is going to continue and the more time passes, the rain becomes more dangerous and it is more complicated.”
Like Raúl, there are several producers who have been impacted by the dark outlook, which has resulted in Chile, the largest exporter of cherries in the world, for the first time in years, not growing in terms of the volume of cherries sent to international markets -compared to the previous season- something that clearly worries experts and authorities.
If at first the estimates were around 100 million boxes, today that figure is much lower; Frutas de Chile -formerly Asoex- set the estimate at 81 million, however advisors and producers believe that this will be even below 70 million boxes -of 5 kilo each-.
Expert opinion
Carlos Tapia, specialist advisor in cherry production and technical director of Avium, details that, according to internal estimates, around a thousand hectares of cherries were seriously damaged, to which is added the subsequent loss: plants that months later suddenly died, probably greatly affected by wood fungi, soil saturation or suffocation.
“The Perfect Storm part II”
In the second part of the story, advisors specializing in cherry production, nutrition and soil will answer the following questions: How did the rains affect the current season’s cherry production in nutritional terms? How to prepare orchards for similar or other scenarios that may arise? And finally, how does the year 2024 look in agro climatological terms, considering that next year the La Niña phenomenon would reach the Pacific Ocean?
The premiere of the second part of “The Perfect Storm” will be next January 4 at 9:30 p.m (Chilean time zone). Save the date and do not miss it!
Remember that you can activate subtitles in your language directly in the video.
