Heavy rain on Dec. 11 in Chile caused significant losses for cherries, which suffered damage in regions south of Santiago, growers association Fedefruta said in a news release.

Heavy rain damaged up to 7,000 metric tons of cherries in central Chile, south of Santiago.

Based on reports from growers, Fedefruta estimated that between 1.2 million and 1.5 million cartons were damaged, the equivalent of 6,000 to 7,000 metric tons.

“This figure, however, can increase because the fruit must go through packing, where it will undergo rigorous sorting in order to deliver fruit with the condition and quality required by international markets,” Antonio Walker, Fedefruta president, said in the statement.

The damage was concentrated in the regions near Rancagua and Talca, which received from a half-inch to an inch of rain.

For this season, exports of 11 million 5-kilogram cartons were expected, with a value of US $300 million. The damaged fruit represents about 10% of the estimates, the newspaper said.

Among the cherry varieties damaged were Bing, Lapins, Rainier, Kordia, Sweetheart and Stella, which were in full harvest, according to the statement.

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com