From Friday onwards (5 April) fruit growers from Chile’s V to IV Regions will halt their harvesting and processing operations due to a lack of storage facilities caused by the ongoing workers' strike at the Ports of San Antonio, Lirquén and Coronel.
Announcing the development during a press conference, the presidents of Fedefruta and Asoex, Cristián Allendes and Ronald Bown, explained that more than 1,600 containers of fruit remain held up by the strike, resulting in losses of over US$50m for the industry.
The harvesting suspension affects 1,770 installations, as well as thousands of orchards covering 40,000ha of apple, kiwifruit and table grape production, Fedefruta and Asoex pointed out.
Last April, the ports in question handled close to 20m cartons of fruit, bringing in over US$400m in revenue to Chile’s fruit industry.
Both Allendes and Bown called on the authorities, the companies and labour representatives involved to recognise the gravity of the situation which has so far cost the industry over US$50m.
On Wednesday (3 April), Patricio Crespo, Ronald Bown and Cristián Allendes, presidents of the National Agricultural Society, Asoex and Fedefruta respectively, together with Miguel Allamand from exporter Subsole, were received by the Chilean government to discuss the issue.
Apparently during that meeting, Chile’s interior minister, Andrés Chadwick; labour minister, Evelyn Matthei; agriculture minister, Luis Mayol; and interior sub-secretary, Rodrigo Ubilla; did not rule out applying the country’s Law of Interior Security.
According to media reports, the strike could continue for another week, with some fearing the stand-off may take a month to resolve.
Reports claim that dock workers are striking over pay, working conditions and government plans to end early retirement pensions.
The situation is said to be affecting 85 per cent of ports across Chile and various industries have been hit including copper, fruit and wood pulp.
