The nut sector, which has been one of the most dynamic agricultural sectors in Chile in the last decade, as it has exports of nearly 400 million dollars a year, will celebrate its annual congress in just a few weeks. The congress is organised by the Chilean Walnut Commission (CHWC), an association of nut exporters.
The congress will be held on October 5 at the Monticello Convention Centre, and some 400 producers and exporters of nuts have confirmed that they will attend the event. The theme of the congress will be the "Lessons left by the rain in the nut industry".
"We will make a commercial and technical analysis of the remaining effects that the rains in April had on Chilean walnuts, taking into consideration the various production stages, from harvesting, peeling, drying, processing, and marketing. After this analysis, we will speak about the challenges and new ways to cope with situations like the one we experienced this year," says the president of CHWC, Karl Samsing.
Chile had the heaviest April rainfall for 65 years, up 1.900% on the average for a normal year. The consequences for agriculture were severe and the nut export sector was probably the most badly affected by this disaster. The Chandler variety was hardest hit, as it suffered a 16% loss in production volume and 65% of the crop's quality, mainly its colour, was affected.
"It was a tremendous challenge for the industry. Fortunately, thanks to our experience and skill, the sector was able to overcome this situation quite successfully, despite an 80 million drop in income. This congress will allow us to collect experiences and project ourselves into the future with new tools and a strategic perspective as an industry," said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of CHWC.
