Wildfires in Chile's wine-growing region cause limited damage to fruit crops
Wildfires in Chile during February caused extensive damage to agriculture but limited damage to fruit crops, according to a new report from the USDA.
The report said the fires should not change expectations for agricultural production or trade of the top fruit crops such as stone fruit, table grapes, blueberries, tree nuts, and citrus during the current or the next marketing year.
In February, wildfires swept through Chile’s Maule, Biobío, Ñuble and Araucania regions, according to the USDA report. The regions most affected by the wildfires were the Biobío, Araucanía and Ñuble regions, which are in the southern part of the country, the report said.
Fires expanded quickly due to high temperatures and windy conditions, causing loss of lives, destruction of homes and damage to basic infrastructure, the report said. The wildfires killed 26 people and burned thousands of acres, the report said.
Economic losses have not yet been fully accounted for. As of Feb. 27, wildfires affected 6,993 farmers in some way. Out of these, 64% were small farmers or subsistence farmers and 97% sell products to the domestic market.
The Chilean Ministry of Agriculture reported close to 10,000 acres of agricultural crops burned nationwide, according to the report.
The report said Biobio was the most affected region with 3,000 acres of agricultural area burned, represented by 55% pasture acres, 22.7% fruit production, 17.8% annual crops and 4.6% vegetable production.
One of the most affected economic sectors was wine production, the report said.
Many vineyards that are in the Itata Valley, an especially dry valley that spans through the Ñuble and the Biobío regions, were burned or had cellars and other infrastructure damaged. Out of the more than 2,000 acres of fruit production burned, 55% were vineyards.
The report said the Chilean fruit producer’s association Fedefruta indicated there were cherry and lemon orchards in the Ñuble region that were burned and blueberries that were ready to harvest but were spoiled due to the high temperatures from the wildfires.
Additionally, many workers in the fruit sectors had their houses burned and lost access to drinking water because of burned infrastructure, according to Fedefruta.
