The effects of the weekend’s earthquake on the Chilean fresh fruit industry are extremely mixed, as producers and exporters continue to assess damage in production areas in southern and central regions of the country.
According to the Chilean Exporters’ Association (Asoex), it is still too early to deliver a full long-term analysis and growers’ federation Fedefruta said it is collating answers from evaluation questionnaires that members have been filling in online.
Asoex reports preliminary results of its survey indicating important damage in major production areas and to infrastructure including packing stations and coldstorage facilities. Seventy-eight per cent of the damage has occurred in regions VI, VII, Metropolitan Region and VIII, affecting mostly table grapes, apples, pears and blueberries.
The country’s main port of Valparaiso is loading normally from piers No. 1, 2, 3 and 6, working at 90 per cent capacity.
The northern fruit port of Coquimbo is operating normally and receiving fresh fruit without any problem redirected from other ports.
Chile’s second-largest port, San Antonio, is operating at 60 per cent of its capacity through the terminal EPSA (Empresa Portuaria de San Antonio) via piers 4, 5, 6 and 7, while the STI (San Antonio Terminal Internacional SA), is currently lacking in electrical supply, but is expected to return during the next few hours, and will then be functioning at 90 per cent capability. The small amounts of fruits which were destined to the port of Lirquén will have no problem in being forwarded to other alternative ports.
In general, there seems to be a consensus among the industry’s exporters and growers that the critical issues will be resolved within the next five working days, returning to relative normality, reports Asoex.
Messages coming through from some suppliers in the Rancagua area were that roads only became passable by the middle of this week and that a lot of packhouses had seen water and electricity supplies cut, which were only being restored slowly.
Chile was woken up on 27 February by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in some areas and its effects were felt throughout much of the country. The epicentre was about 70 miles off the coast of the southern city of Concepcion, one of Chile’s largest cities, and around 270 miles from the capital, Santiago.
According to Ronald Bown, chairman of Aseox: “There are still some production areas, packing and coldstorage facilities, which have either no electrical supply or damages to highway infrastructure, but through our discussions with authorities, complete electrical supply should be restored within the next 48 hours. All involved in the growing, harvesting and shipping of fresh fruit in Chile are committed to hold distribution disruptions to a minimum.”
Importers report that some of the most serious issues are with the labour force. One told freshinfo: “A lot of workers have lost their homes and there are definite issues with them getting into work. This week was going to be the big week for grapes and apples are also coming on stream. Information coming through is still very sketchy, but we do know that there have been some packhouses in Rancagua that have lost fruit, as they collapsed with full stores.”
Other suppliers report that cold stores are running on back-up electricity and reports of delays to the shipping schedules vary between 48 hours and five days.
Asoex thanked the international fruit community for its continuing support through this difficult time: “We would also like to ensure that fruit growers and exporters in Chile are committed to reducing the impact of this terrible tragedy.”
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