Last weekend, heavy rains caused the overflow of the Mapocho River in the Chilean capital, causing landslides and severe damage to infrastructure, leaving more than 4 million people in the South American country without drinking water. There were two fatalities and hundreds more were affected. This situation has caused uncertainty amongst Chileans and the international media.

The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) reported that here are not a great deal of damage to the grapes in the Coquimbo region as the growers had time to take pre-cautionary measures and the season was coming to a close. They are checking the actual damage done, but it is not yet possible to give any figures.  The Minister of Agriculture in Chile has stated that the agricultural sector has not suffered a big impact, since most of the fruit in the central regions had already been harvested. "The first assessments carried out by the authorities reveal that, in general, no major damage has been caused to the agricultural sector. Some sectors may encounter some issues with irrigation channels, but we believe that this damage will be minimal." 

"The bottom line is that this natural disaster will actually benefit the agricultural sector. These rains have helped put an end to the water deficit, refilling groundwater reservoirs and tackling the drought recorded in recent times. Let's not forget that the irrigation season has not yet started, so we have enough time to repair any damaged infrastructures."

The concerns about possible price increases for agricultural products as a result of potential crop damage led to the sector quickly sounding the alarm, but the Ministry spokesperson clarified and denied these speculations. "We expect no fruit and vegetable shortages because of the bad weather, so there is no reason for this adverse climatic event to have an impact on the prices of these agricultural products. We will soon have a more detailed report," he concludes.