Authorities waiting for laboratory results on the condition of the fruit before deciding whether to release containers
Frutas de Chile has released the following statement about the arrival of the Maersk Saltoro, 28 days later than scheduled, after breaking down in the Pacific Ocean last month.
“As Frutas de Chile, we have been monitoring the situation of the cherries on board the Saltoro ship to China from the first minute, permanently and on the ground, with the objective of keeping our producers and exporters informed of what is happening. For this reason, we have activated daily reports on the situation.
“Currently, our general manager, Miguel Canala-Echeverría, is deploying a programme of activities in China, in the towns of Guangzhou – Nansha, where he will meet with customs officials and local authorities.
“To date, the authorities have reported to us that of the total number of affected containers (1,360), 120 have been unloaded and only 20 of them have been inspected, the fruit of which is said to be in poor condition, and we are awaiting laboratory results.
“In this regard, we believe that it is still very preliminary to provide a global balance of what is happening with all the fruit, so we are waiting for the Chinese customs to decide whether or not to clear the containers. So far, no container has been released to the market.
“In parallel, tomorrow we will have a meeting with the Consul and the commercial attaché of ProChile in China to align future scenarios. We will inform you of any new developments in due course.”
