Citrus daily news:
Chilean citrus crops hit by cold snap
Chilean citrus importers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward possible damage from a cold snap July 13-14, but some early signs suggested limited damage. Avocado officials also are optimistic.
 Officials from the Chilean Exporters Association (ASOEX) estimated navel losses at 10-15% and lemon losses at 5% at the most. Clementine damage was expected to be minimal.
Temperatures bottomed out at -9 Celsius (16 Fahrenheit) in some regions, said Matt Gordon, Chilean program manager at DNE World Fruit Sales, Fort Pierce, Fla.
But growers Gordon talked to in the northern citrus regions of Chile said they did not expect shipments to be affected.
“They were more worried about avocados than citrus,” he said. “No one has raised the red flag yet.”
Still, Gordon said it was too soon to tell the exact extent of the damage. DNE is in the heart of its Chilean navel, clementine and lemon seasons.
The majority of avocado groves in Chile are located on hillsides, which were not hit as hard by the cold as flatland growing areas, according to a July 19 news release from the Santiago-based Chilean Hass Avocado Association.
By early to mid-August the association hoped to have a better handle on damage to groves, according to the release. ASOEX officials said avocado losses could be greater than citrus losses.
Seald Sweet International, Vero Beach, Fla., is currently bringing in navels, clementines and lemons from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, all of which were hit by the cold temperatures, said David Mixon, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
Mixon agreed with Gordon that it would likely be a week to ten days before accurate damage estimates could be made.
But Mixon was encouraged by two facts. One, cold weather had preceded the very cold weather in the region. Those conditions, he said, are much better than a more sudden and dramatic drop in temperature.
Similarly, very cold weather in Florida last winter was preceded by cold weather, which minimized damage to citrus crops, Mixon said.
The second reason for encouragement, Mixon said, is that Chilean fruit had been registering high acid levels prior to the cold snap, another sign that damage could be minimized.
source: by Andy Nelson
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