Chile receives first shipment of Argentine oranges

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Chile receives first shipment of Argentine oranges

While Argentina is renowned for its citrus exports around the world, only recently has it been able to ship oranges next door to Chile.

Until recently, the Andes have been more of a challenge than the Atlantic Ocean for Argentine citrus exporters.

Until recently, the Andes were more of a challenge than the Atlantic Ocean for Argentine citrus exporters.

The fruit was grown in the northern province of Jujuy and exported across the Andes over the Christ Redeemer International Pass, which connects wine hub Mendoza with the Chilean capital Santiago.

The landmark consignment is the culmination of an agreement reached between Argentina's National Agricultural Health and Quality Service (Senasa) and Chile's Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) in June, coming after three years of negotiations.

Senasa said the recent shipment was given cold treatment on arrival in Santiago, as part of phytosanitary import requirements between the two countries.

In a release, the organization highlighted it was still in negotiations with SAG to gain similar access for its lemons, which would be much more significant as Argentina is the world's leading exporter of the fruit,

During the first half of the year, the service certified more than 29,000 metric tons (MT) of oranges for export to foreign markets such as the Netherlands, Paraguay, Spain, Italy and others.

Chile is a significant orange exporter as well, with 45,342MT exported in the season to August 15, putting it ahead of 2013 for the same period. The fruit was worth US$45.3 million.

Last year, Chile shipped 69,979MT worth of oranges at a value of US$55.4 million.

www.freshfruitportal.com

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