Chile’s fresh fruit producer and exporter associations have criticised uncorroborated reports of damage to the 2016 grape harvest following rains between regions IV and VII over the weekend, warning that it threatens to cause lasting harm to the industry’s reputation.
Asoex and Fedefruta said that while there had been localised rainfall in the north of the Valparaíso region and less significant precipitation in the Metropolitana and O’Higgins regions, media speculation about losses was “irresponsible” as proper a damage assessment had yet been completed.
“As is common practice in these cases…producers – in this case mainly of table grapes – have been implementing measures to protect crops such as applying phytosanitary treatments to prevent fruit from rotting,” the organisations said in a joint press release published on Wednesday.
“In the areas affected a full and objective evaluation will take place in order to be able to classify which fruit is suitable for export.”
Earlier, reports in the press suggested the recent rains could have a major impact on the 2016 export campaign, particularly with respect to programmes to Asia, as fruit quality had been signficantly affected.
The joint statement went on to say that both organisations found it concerning that the media had published news stories with no factual basis and no input from official sources, leading to the spread of disinformation among importers and customers in general.
They said it was in the interests of producers and exporters to undertake a “rigorous classification of fruit destined for export”, as failure to do so “would result in costs that do not generate returns and discredit an industry whose defined permanent objective is to be a reliable and trustworthy supplier of fresh fruit to all markets”.
No comments yet