SANTIAGO: Chilean producers exporting apples, kiwifruit, clementines, lemons and late season table grapes are all being affected by customs workers strikes that began on May 20.
“Once again we are being impacted by an illegal strike that’s putting perishable products at risk, and it’s happened because of the lack of government action to avoid these kinds of problems,” Fruit Producers’ Federation (Fedefruta) president Juan Carolus Brown Bauzá said.
He added the customs strike was ‘further evidence’ the fruit industry required a new law guaranteeing free movement of perishable products, which he said Fedefruta had been pushing for since the crippling port strikes of March and April 2013.
“We are already well aware of the damage a strike can be do to fruit exports, and we always get into these situations where we are affected but cannot provide a solution,” Brown said, speaking after having visited the central port of Valparaiso, where about half of the country’s fruit exports depart.
Customs officials said they warned the industry about the strikes beforehand so appropriate action could be taken and growers could reschedule their shipments, but Brown said that changing plans in such a way was not possible for the fruit sector.
Last week the Fedefruta board made its concerns over the potential strike known to Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche, explaining the complications it would have for scheduled clementine and lemon exports from the north central area, as well as apples and kiwifruit from the center to the south.
While figures could not be determined for how much fruit is at risk during the strike, Brown said the damage ‘has not gone unnoticed’.
“What good is developing new business strategies for apples and kiwifruit to recover from frost damage, or demand progress in Chilean fruit’s international trade matters, when illegal strikes inside the country can affect the sector?” he said.
