The president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), Iván Marambio, said that, due to the continuation of the truckers' strike and the increase in intermittent blockades at the entrances to container depots and ports, the industry would have no other option than to stop the fruit harvest, a situation that would not only affect the production and export sector, but also thousands of workers who are currently working in the fields throughout the country, estimated at 200 thousand.
«Yesterday, the Cherry Express ship, Wan Hai, left with 50 percent of the planned cargo of cherries, since the fruit could not arrive to be loaded. The situation is really critical, and if the conflict is not resolved this weekend, we would start talking about million-dollar losses. Today, the refrigerators are overwhelmed, with no possibility of storing more fruit, and for this reason, the industry does not have the loading capacity for the ships, as well as the way to reach them,» Marambio said.
The leader regretted to announce that, due to the current scenario, «From this Monday we will have to stop harvesting fruit, such as cherries, blueberries and stone fruits, because we cannot harvest and pack the fruit if it is then impossible to ship it. This means a complete loss of the entire process and the effort made by producers and workers for an entire year. This situation will not only impact fruit producers and exporters, but also thousands of workers who will have to stop their work in the harvest, in the packing plants and in other processes. We must remember that our industry generates almost 600 thousand jobs, and they are in danger today.» Marambio highlighted.
The ASOEX president added that, in the case of cherries, the measure will affect the harvest of varieties such as Royal, Santina and Lapins. While the “Cherry Express” ships planned for the next few days: Navigare Collector (AN1 - INCA) on November 28, the OOCL Ho Chi Minh City (WSA) ship on December 1, the Loceng (AS2 - WS6) ship on December 2, and the Ya Zhou (WSA 3) ship on December 4, could set sail without cargo.
That is why we call on transporters and the Government to reach a stable agreement to the current conflict, which is causing great damage to numerous productive activities and to citizens, in a complex economic scenario that the country is facing.
