The Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex) and the Chilean Federation of Fruit Growers (Fedefruta) are independently conducting surveys across the fruit industry to assess the extent of damage caused by Saturday’s massive earthquake.
The organisations aim to identify the level of losses incurred and work out a timeframe as to when they expect the fruit trade will return to full working capacity.
The information will also be handed to the Chilean government to help with its planning of measures to support the sector.
Suppliers have been requested to pinpoint exactly where they are encountering problems, whether it be access roads, electricity, communication systems, transport or irrigation infrastructure.
Growers and exporters must also indicate if they have suffered damage (which is affecting the normal working of their facilities) to packing houses, coldstorage chambers, machinery and crops, and offer an estimate of how long it will take to return to full operation.
The associations' market intelligence agency SimFRUIT has also established a special Twitter feed on its website, where people can offer and/or request any services, such as coldstorage facilities, to temporarily cover any losses incurred during the earthquake.
In general, Asoex claims large parts of the Chilean fresh fruit trade have emerged with minimaldamage and the short-term prospects for trade are good. See full report here.
