Dive Brief:

• Chile says crop damage from a freak freeze in September is not as bad as earlier estimated, and exports will be greater than had been feared.
• The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, called Asoex, says total exports will be down between 13.5% and 16%, for a loss of as much as $900 million. Earlier estimates were for a drop in exports of about 22%.
• The announcement comes as Chile begins its annual shipments of table grapes to North America. Grape exports are now expected to fall only by 6% to 9%.

Dive Insight:

Certainly this is good news for Chilean growers and U.S. retailers. And we offer congratulations to the growers and shippers of Chile who have scrambled in recent weeks to recover from the freeze. Here's hoping California's citrus industry is able to bounce back as well from its recent weather woes.