Argentina: In Mendoza, they seek to advance the harvest 15 days with early varieties, as a way to survive the formidable competition from Chile

Argentina is currently shipping the last export cherries of the 2023/24 season. This year has been relatively good, with shipments totaling nearly 8,600 tons, a record volume, but with high costs and a depressed dollar. In addition, there is always the fear of local producers because Chile took over practically the entire business: they sold 415 thousand tons this season, fifty times more. That is to say that if they sneeze they take us out of the market. Something similar has already happened to fruit-growing Argentina with blueberries. Shipments of this fine fruit grew strongly until about ten years ago when Peru began to produce it in large quantities, competing with Argentina (and Chile) for the same Northern Hemisphere markets during the off-season. And since - due to its location on the world map - Peru had the first harvest, there was no way to compete with it. The blueberry business was reduced by half. With Chile at their side, Argentine cherry producers run the same ...