Chile’s cherry has reached South Asia for the first time in just 36 days, a feat that was possible thanks to the collaboration between the Chilean Fruit Cherry Committee, exporters, and shipping companies. India is gradually becoming a potential destination for Chilean cherries. According to data from the Chilean Fruit Cherry Committee, so far in the 2023-2024 export season, the country has shipped 444 tons, a similar level to the ones achieved in the previous season.
The executive director of the Committee, Claudia Soler, stressed that this year a ship (Cosco CSCL Star) had managed to reach India in a record time of just 36 days, with a single stopover. This improvement in shipping times is the result of the close collaboration between the Committee, exporters, and shipping companies.
The goal of these actions is to develop the Indian market, facilitating logistics and reducing transit times to guarantee the quality of the fruit upon arrival, Soler added.
The main varieties exported to India this season have been the Lapins and Regina varieties, which are mainly distributed through premium points of sale and e-commerce platforms, and are becoming increasingly more popular.
According to Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, India is an increasingly important market for Chilean fresh fruit exports and they are working to ensure better conditions of entry. In addition, Sofofa’s Chile-India Business Council is strengthening bilateral relations and trade.
One of the Committee’s objectives is to promote cherry consumption in India. To this end, they are coordinating actions with importers and distributors. Since the 2020-2021 season, they have been carrying out promotional actions in this market using the ‘Cherry-sh every moment’ slogan in public relations events, retail promotions, work with influencers, and on social media platforms.
