Banana exporters in Ecuador have urged port operators in the country to lower their shipment tariffs to ease the effects of the global economic crisis on the sector.
According to Diario La Opinión, charges imposed by terminal operator Contecon, which runs the Port of Guayaquil, have increased in some cases by as much as 100 per cent over the past year and are causing major concern for Ecuador’s banana industry.
“This means that one ship that stays for 72 hours at a terminal that previously paid US$5,000, now pays around US$10,000,” said Eduardo Ledesma, president of Ecuador’s national association of banana exporters.
The exporters have since taken legal action against the port to Guayaquil’s Disputes Tribunal, which has yet to rule whether the increase in tariffs is legal or not.
