Earthquake in Chile impacts Produce Prices Here

You might not think that an Earthquake a half a world away would impact produce prices here, but it sure will.  Chile was rocked with a massive 8.8 Earthquake earlier today.  The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a 7.8 earthquake.  This Chilean quake was hundreds of time stronger than the most recent earthquake in Haiti.  The epicenter is about 200 miles south of the capital city of Santiago.  Even so, there was tremendous damage to buildings, roads, bridges and communications.  This time of year, it is summertime in Chile.  They are a major exporter of Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Grapes, Blueberries and Raspberries. Most of the berries and the tree-ripened Peaches and Nectarines are imported from Chile and come here via airplane through the Santiago International Airport.  The airport was shutdown, which of course immediately stops all air shipments of produce from Chile to the United States.  There is going to be some disruption of export activity at the main port of export in Valparaiso.  The port was shut down to access damage.  Workers at the port will no doubt be shifted to more emergency operations, off-loading equipment and supplies for the damaged areas.  The President of Chile has declared a state of catastrophe in Central Chile, the prime growing region of stonefruit and grapes, in harvest right now.  This region also grows a lot of berries, apples, pears, kiwifruit and avocados.  Of all the fruit exported from the Southern Hemisphere, about 90% comes from Chile.  If you look at your world atlas, Chile looks like a piece of Spaghetti on the west coast of South America.  It stretches 2,700 miles, from the driest desert on earth in the north, to the antartica in the south.  The country is an island geographically, making it one of the most unique growing regions in the world today.  Each year, Chile ships about 1 billion pounds of fruit to North America, worth about $3 billion.  I was in Chile just three years ago.  Their farmers are some of the finest in the world.  I wish them, and their country, a speedy recovery.