Chilean fruit growers seek to conquer Chinese palate with pears

SAN FERNANDO, Chile - Chilean fruit growers recently celebrated the country's first shipment to China of four kinds of pears they hope will win over local consumers.

"This is a very significant milestone for the Chilean fruit growing sector," Chilean Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker told reporters on a tour to the Frusan Processing Plant in San Fernando in the O'Higgins region, some 140 kilometers south of the capital Santiago.

Harvested pears are transported in giant crates to plants like Frusan to be cleaned and refrigerated in separate batches depending on their destination market, plant operators said.