According to data from the Office of Agricultural Studies and Policies (Odepa), Chilean vegetable exports totaled 94.6 million FOB dollars in the first quarter of 2022, i.e., 13.2% less than the value recorded in the same period of 2021.
The tomato was the main species exported in this period by value, accounting for 31.9% of the value mobilized in the aforementioned period. It is worth noting that 96.4% of the tomato exported was exported as a paste.
In the first quarter of the year, Chilean tomato exports increased by 28.8% in value, amounting to 30.1 million FOB dollars, and by 15.6% in volume over the same period of 2021.
Garlic ranked second, accounting for 23.9% of the value exported in the first quarter of this year. Fresh garlic exports accounted for 99.3% of the garlic exported, and the main destination was Mexico, with an 82% share. Garlic exports in the first quarter decreased in value by 29.9/% and in volume by 13.2% over the same period of the previous year.
Onion exports ranked third, concentrating 9.8% of the export value and growing by 9.2% in value and 32.4% in volume over the same period of last year. 83.6% of the onions were shipped fresh, and the main destination markets were Spain and Brazil.
Destinations for Chilean vegetables
Mexico is the main destination market and continues to account for 20.7% of the value exported. It's a similar situation to the same period of 2021 but with a 34.9% decrease in the export value, going from 30.1 million FOB dollars to 19.6 million FOB dollars, a fall mainly due to the decrease in the exports of fresh garlic.
Mexico is followed by Japan, with 10.2% of the value exported. The export value to Japan decreased by 26.3% over the first quarter of 2021, going from 13.1 to 9.6 million FOB dollars.
Finally, Brazil ranked third with 10% of the export value and, unlike previous destinations, it experienced an increase in the export value and volume, going from 4.2 to 9.4 million FOB dollars and from 4.2 to 11.7 thousand tons.
Source:portalportuario.cl