Chile's ag industry is much like California's, producing many of the same fruits but during different times of the year. Those year round imports and exports keep Visalia's Mike Burchett busy. The owner of MB Fresh International has two of his sons in Chile now, helping during the harvest. He agreed the quake will have an effect on the country's exports. "There's going to be some hiccups. Anytime there's a gap in supply, prices will fluctuate, and I can see that happening right now," said Burchett.
Still, Burchett says the changes won't be immediate. That's because there's still fruit enroute to the U.S., shipped before the quake. Also, the extent of the damage to the country's infrastructure, including its ports, remains to be seen. "In the Santiago area, a lot of the cold storage people I've talked to say there's no structural damage they can see. But they've had pallets that have fallen over inside the cold storage, so there's going to be some loss. But I haven't heard any big numbers," said Burchett.
Despite the devastation in Chile, Burchett says its people are resilient. "Their business is exports. And they will get back to business as fast as they can," said Burchett.
It normally takes about 10 to 14 days to ship produce from Chile to the U.S., so if there is a gap, it may not be felt at your grocery store for another two to three weeks.
