The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association is calling for 1,000 delegates to come to an emergency industry meeting on August 8 to urge the national government to take action in the face of the Chilean fruit sector’s “dramatic loss of competitiveness”.
According to the association, large exporters are selling off swathes of their land while small- and medium-sized operators are working at a loss as the cost of labour has risen by 20 per cent in three years.
“There is mass discontent in our sector in the face of this situation, and it needs to be given public expression,” said association president Ronald Bown, who is co-organising the event with producers’ federation Fedefruta.
The meeting hopes to come up with a clear way forward for the government in four specific areas: the labour market, plant health protection, scientific research and technology, and Chile’s international image.
Four committees have been set up to gather proposals in the month leading up to the event.
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