The announcement was made by Jorge Valenzuela, President of Fedefruta, during a breakfast meeting of the union held in Santiago, where directors, counselors, fruit entrepreneurs and leaders analyzed the changes that the industry has experienced in the last five years; in addition, they referred to the projection of the union's work for this decade.
"Each president of Fedefruta had to innovate in his time to face challenges and work for the growth of our sector, representing all producers," said Valenzuela. "That experience is what we want to incorporate into the conversation, making all their visions concentrate on a solid council, with a track record and projection for the future.", said Jorge Valenzuela, President of Fedefruta.
The Fedefruta Pastpresident Council is made up of the founder of Fedefruta, Florencio Lazo Barra, three former helmsmen of the National Society of Agriculture such as Ricardo Ariztía de Castro, Luis Schmidt (former Chilean ambassador to China for two periods), Cristián Allendes Marín, plus the former Minister of Agriculture and current president of the SNA, Antonio Walker Prieto, in addition to Rodrigo Echeverría Díaz, Juan Carolus Brown Bauzá and Ramón Achurra Larraín.
"Our Federation has always been a breeding ground for great leaders for trade union positions, and also for the public and diplomatic world. The participants of this Pastpresident Council have left an important mark, and we are sure that they will be a great contribution to reflecting on the most relevant issues," Valenzuela said.
The Fedefruta Producers Federation is a trade association that brings together more than 25 associations linked to fruit growing and the productive regions of the country, from Atacama to Chile Chico. It represents a sector that generates more than 5 billion dollars in foreign currency returns to the country, and is made up of producers/exporters who are, in their 80%, small and medium-sized businesses.
«In recent years we have seen the consolidation of cherries as the main product of our activity, we have seen the development of fruit growing from Ñuble to the south, and the growth of crops that were previously unthinkable, such as the European hazelnut», said Valenzuela during the announcement of the Pastpresident Council. «But we have experienced the severity of the drought caused by climate change, the loss of competitiveness in table grapes and blueberries due to the explosion in Peru, and the resulting financing problem that we must overcome. That is why we need to unite all fruit growers, to guide a path that we can only travel together», concluded Jorge Valenzuela.
Source: Fedefruta
