MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile celebrates salmon industry success amid controversy

Chile's booming salmon farming industry celebrated this week its twentieth anniversary with exports forecasted to reach this year a record 2.050 billion US dollars.

The celebration took place in Purto Montt that has become the hub of the industry with the presence of Chilean Economy and Labor ministers and a Congressional committee that is looking into the evolution and impact of the salmon industry.

"Salmon has become one of Chile's main exports, we're headed for record exports and everybody knows that in Regions X and XI most jobs are linked to salmon farming activities", said SalmoChile president Carlo Vial.

However Vial also invited to look ahead, to think abut competition and not to become over confident about the success of the industry.

Some of the questions he left open to think about included: "our companies and services are developing as strong teams to face global competition? Are we capable of standing in any city or market of the world and prove our produce is good because we can sell it successfully? Authorities, legislation are moving at the same pace as the challenges hundreds of concessions demand?"

Mr Vial then called on Chilean salmon businessmen "to go out and conquer" the world's aquaculture market.

"Currently 80% of salmon companies are Chilean and we will continue to learn from Norwegians, Spaniards or Japanese who own the other 20%. But now it's our turn and Chileans must begin to teach and invest overseas including with new species as we are doing in Costa Rica with the tilapia", underlined Mr. Vial in direct reference to the undertaking of the country's main salmon industry, AcquaChile in Central America.

Economy minister Alejandro Ferreiro called on the industry to avoid weakness and temptations by ensuring the quality and backup of the Chile brand associated to salmon.

Labor minister Osvaldo Andrade invited the industry to make compatible "growth with labor and environment standards".

The Chilean salmon industry has been repeatedly accused of exploiting labor with low pay, long hours of work and limited access to social benefits. Environmentalists claim the industry, with government passivity, has expanded far too fast without taking into consideration the impact on wild life.

"Over the last year we've been given the chance through dialogue with labor and environment committees to check all the available data and look ourselves straight into the mirror: we're satisfied because we've done a good job and we can do it even better", highlighted Mr. Vial.