President of trade association California Citrus Mutual, Joel Nelson,has said that port shutdowns along the US West Coast have lost the indsutry US$500m in export opportunities.
Following three months of disputes between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union(ILWU), operations at along the US West Coast were shutdown at the weekend. The PMA suspended loading and unloading at ports across the West Coast over the weekend, with spokesperson Wade Gates stating that it makes “no sense” to pay port workers extra for less work.
Nelson said the shutdown further impacted the US$2.4bn industry at a time when demand for California citrus usually peaks.
“Fruit is rotting on the docks, sales are being cancelled by the customer and our industry has slowed its harvest so as not to place matured fruit into the market place,” said Nelson in a company statement. “All this damage is created by two entities that seek to maximise their economic well-being while sacrificing others.”
