Chilean fruit exports are off to a good start this year. In January, shipments to the United States were up by 30 percent. Leading U.S. gateways for fruit imports, such as Wilmington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami are reporting higher volumes across the board.
Meanwhile, the Peruvian government’s $550 million in water infrastructure projects will eventually create 625,000 acres of irrigated agricultural land to support the country’s fruit and vegetable production. Although Peru escaped the severe weather conditions that hammered Chile in 2014, the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters warned that Peru’s lime production could be hurt by the El Nino weather phenomenon this year.