Chile kicks off fresh fruit export season with eye on Chinese market

STORY: Chile kicks off fresh fruit export season with eye on Chinese market DATELINE: Nov. 25, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: Santiago CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of cherries 2. various of workers 3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): ESTEBAN VALENZUELA, Chilean minister of agriculture 4. various of the port STORYLINE: Chile started on Tuesday the 2022-2023 fresh fruit export season, which is expected to be driven by the growing demand from China for cherries. Government authorities and representatives of agricultural associations have met in the port of Valparaiso to seek ways of improving logistics for fresh fruit shipments. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): ESTEBAN VALENZUELA, Chilean minister of agriculture "We want this 2022-2023 season to break all records and we are going to do it." According to Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), the cherry has become a major agricultural produce in Chile. 356,348 tonnes of cherries were traded last season, and 90 percent of them were sold to China. This season, Chil