Chilean fruit growers are expressing concern about potential harm to trade because of the port strike on the East Coast of the U.S.
The International Longshoremen’s Association began the strike Oct. 1 against the United States Maritime Alliance.
The port strike will directly affect shipments of Chilean fruit to the North America, said the Chilean grower group Federation of Fruit Producers of Chile, or Fedefruta.
“We find it regrettable that port operations are paralyzed, and at the same time we call on the parties to reconcile, agree and resolve their differences so that ports in the U.S. can continue to function,” Víctor Catán, president of Fedefruta, said in a statement. “We believe that tremendous damage is done to the U.S. population that is deprived of goods and food, in our case making it impossible to enter the entry of top quality fruits that supply the different supermarkets in that country.”
In 2023, Chile exporters shipped more than $1 billion of fresh fruit to the Philadelphia port alone, according to USDA statistics. That represents 56% of total Chilean fruit exports to the U.S. in 2023 of $1.78 billion, the USDA said.
While the period from January through April represents the peak window for Chilean fresh fruit shipments to the U.S., imports from Chile occur in every month of the year. Last year the U.S. imported $134 million of Chilean fruit in October, or about 8% of the total 2023 value of Chilean fruit imports.
Catán made his statement from Sao Paulo, where he is representing fruit producers at Chile Week Brazil 2024, which takes place between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3.
