Bown was responding to criticism from growers' federation, Fedefruta president Luis Schmidt at the XVI national fruit producers' convention in Chile last week.

'Clearly there are different sales and marketing options available to growers as each of them is free to choose the route that suits them best,' Bown was reported in Chilean weekly Revista del Campo. 'But in my opinion there is transparency.' The CFFA announced a nine per cent increase in export volumes for the 2001-02 season but made clear that this rise would not be reflected in returns as prices had dropped. But producers contested the point saying that prices and volumes had both experienced increases of a matching order.

Schmidt, however, also pointed out that there was a need for understanding on the part of his members. 'Producers also need to accept that exporters have to make money too,' he was reported. 'It is a legitimate activity and must be appropriately remunerated.' Tension between growers and exporters may have increased as pressure on the profitability of many fresh produce businesses feels the pinch of a difficult global market.

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