Federation president Víctor Catán said the country had built just two reservoirs in 25 years
Chile urgently needs to invest in its water infrastructure to future-proof its fruit industry against more frequent extreme weather events. That was the take-home from a speech given by Víctor Catán, president of fruit producer federation Fedefruta, at the 16th edition of the International Diploma Programme in Crop and Fruit Tree Fertigation at the University of Concepción.
Catán noted that only two reservoirs have been inaugurated in Chile over the past two and a half decades, a situation that raises questions regarding the country’s capacity to respond adequately to future water challenges.
“In the last 25 years, we have inaugurated only two reservoirs, and I wonder if, in the next 20 years, we will be capable of addressing our new climate reality – characterised by highly concentrated weather events and intense rainfall over short periods,” he said. “Ultimately, that water is lost to the sea because we lack sufficient storage capacity.”
The Fedefruta president also highlighted the role reservoirs play in preventing harm to the general population. “Another important aspect of reservoirs – where they exist – is that they provide containment, which helps prevent damage to the population. If, for instance, reservoirs had not been in place during the recent weather event in the Coquimbo Region, we would be mourning the loss of many lives and facing extremely high material costs,” he continued.
Catán also raised the need to update labour legislation dating back to 1985 to align it with current market conditions. He argued for the need to facilitate the integration of foreign workers and allow for their direct hiring by employers, noting that current legislation limits the proportion of foreign workers to 15 per cent of the workforce.
“Another challenge we face is achieving consistency in the fruit we supply to various markets – ensuring the fruit is uniform and arrives in good condition,” he said.
Catán welcomed the technological progress that the fruit industry had made in recent years, but claimed that there continued to be a lack of recognition from politicians about the importance of agriculture.
“Often, for some reason, the agricultural sector is stigmatised as precarious work with poor pay, associated with a host of negative factors. The reality is very different, and that is what we must convey to new generations so that young people stay and launch ventures in the agricultural sector,” he said.
