Argentina’s apple and pear crops shrink

Argentina’s deciduous fruit crop for 2021/22 is estimated to decrease by 7%, due to unexpected frost that affected the crops at the beginning of October 2021, according to USDA data. Some producers had active frost defences in place and were less affected, while others experienced serious crop losses. Ongoing economic and financial difficulties continue to undermine Argentine fruit exporters’ competitiveness in international markets. One of the main concerns among producers is the high international freight cost, as it has doubled due to lower container availability internationally, as a consequence of COVID-19 and major ports lock downs across the globe in the past year. The war between Russia and Ukraine also presented a challenge at the beginning of 2022, since 20% of pear production is exported to Russia. Argentine producers were able to resolve this inconvenience by routing their production to new destinations such as Turkey and Estonia.