MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Fruits Growers Lose Crop Because of Road Blocks
Marcelo Loyarte, manager of the Argentina Chamber of Integrated Fruitgrowers Fruit growers, packers and pickers in Argentina have ended their strike in the western part of the country, but the damage may have already been done with strike costs estimated at US $50 million, according to local and national media.
The unions for the three segments of workers reached final salary increase agreements with the government and each other over last to end road blocks on roads in Río Negro and Neuquén provinces in western Argentina, according to news website ADN.
The strike came when Williams pears hit their peak condition for export, with blockades leaving much of the fruit either unharvested or unstored, according to national newspaper La Nación.
Unpicked fruit is now too ripe for export, according to La Nación.
“The situation becomes more serious hour by hour because this week was the critical week for the pear harvest for export, and our estimates are that we have between $45 million and $50 million in losses,” Marcelo Loyarte, manager of the Argentina Chamber of Integrated Fruitgrowers,” is quoted as saying in La Nación. “This is without counting collateral damage, which at this moment is difficult to measure.”
Forecasts for the season called for a production increase of 23% with better quality than last season. Additionally, export conditions were optimal because of the reduction in production in the Northern Hemisphere. Pear and apple exports were expected to total 350,000 metric tons between January and April, according to La Nación.
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Read all commentsWhat this ? a war of lazy farmers against working famers ? or is this really a mob enjoying the Argentine national pastime ? I keep getting flashbacks of Martin Fierro “los hermanos sean unidos porque esa es la ley primeroa porque si entre ellos peleans se perderan $50 millones”
Jan 27th, 2011 - 05:12 am 0Another shot in the foot for the Argentine economy......
Jan 27th, 2011 - 11:30 pm 0#2 this more like a shot in the arm, imagine, Argentina has a lots of fruits for our newly build bio-fuel plant and the soya prices has jumped up by 20%, we killed two birds with one shot, I mean with one strike, who knows maybe this is just part of a plan, everything bad in Argentina is turning out to be a big help for the Argentines, the same thing happen with the soya trade with China, not many people will remember that now, but when China refuced to take our soya India took it and a few years later we have 2 of the world biggest costummers, China and India, I think we might be loosing the fruit market but opening up doors for the Bio-fuel industry.
Feb 02nd, 2011 - 05:08 pm 0http://en.mercopress.com/2011/02/02/soy-prices-soar-as-argentine-ports-are-blocked-by-week-long-strike
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