Walnuts have been one of the most planted fruit crops in Chile since profits obtained by the producers and exporters were high in the past, and the demand for Chilean walnuts has expanded with the opening of new export destinations. The planting area growth has increased at a rate of 1,500 ha per year and reached 45,000 ha in MY2018/19.
The majority of walnut planted areas is located in the metropolitan region, which holds 37 percent of the total planted area in Chile and the Valparaiso region, which holds 18 percent. The planted area has expanded to the southern regions of O’Higgins, which holds 17 percent of the planted area and Maule, which holds 13 percent of the total planted area in Chile.
In MY2017/18, production reached 150,000 MT. In MY2019/20, production is likely to face adverse climatic conditions: rainfall and chilling temperatures during the spring and droughts taking place in the Metropolitan and O´Higgins regions. Despite adverse climatic conditions, post project production to increase by 3.3 percent and total 155,000 MT due to the increasing trend in planted area and as new orchards become productive.
Marketing strategies yielded results and diversified export destinations, reducing dependency on the main market, Turkey, and increasing exports to Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The fastest growing markets for Chilean walnut exports are China, the United Kingdom (UK) and the UAE.