Frutas de Chile warns of critical impact of walkout and demands urgent dialogue to avoid jeopardising shipments
Chile’s fruit sector has reacted with deep concern to the strike called by the Fuerza del Norte” (Northern Force) Truckers’ Confederation, which began on Tuesday, 10 November.
The walkout is disrupting road freight arriving at the ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio, placing cherry shipments destined for the Asian market at immediate risk.
Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, noted that while the industry understands the context of rising operating and fuel costs affecting the entire logistics chain, the road blockades are causing disproportionate harm to the country’s fruit industry.
“At Frutas de Chile, we understand the truckers’ demands. The rise in fuel costs has affected us all – every sector, every Chilean. What we do not understand is the blocking of roads and highways, which also impacts thousands upon thousands of Chileans and sectors not involved in this conflict, such as the fruit industry,” Marambio said.
The stoppage comes at a critical phase for the local fruit industry. Two Cherry Express vessels – one bound for Nansha and the other for Hong Kong – are scheduled to depart this Thursday and Saturday.
“Fruit cannot continue to be used as a bargaining chip to resolve these conflicts; we say enough to that,” Marambio continued. “We call for dialogue. We have had a very strong start to the fruit season this week, with two dedicated vessels set to depart for China this Thursday and Saturday. We cannot afford to lose this. The losses we would incur would be significant.”
The trade association emphasized that fresh fruit is a highly perishable commodity that cannot withstand delays while in transit. It warned that any delay compromises the condition and sale of the product in international markets, while also damaging Chile’s reputation relative to competing nations and negatively impacting thousands of producers and seasonal workers.
Given this situation, Marambio urged the government and the protest leaders to engage in discussions that lead to a successful resolution. “We call on the authorities and the truck drivers to sit down and talk – urgently. That is the most important thing. And for this dialogue to be effective, it must happen immediately and involve the highest-level representatives from each side, ensuring that the discussions are productive and yield tangible results,” he said.
Frutas de Chile reiterated its willingness to participate in a working group to address the underlying issues regarding transport costs, stressing the urgent need to ensure the free movement of goods in order to safeguard regional economic activity and the nation’s supply chain.
