Ecuador’s fruit and vegetable exports are not being diminished by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Pro Ecuador, the country’s export promotion authority.
Harvesting, packing and shipping from Ecuadorian ports continue, and an initial shortage of containers has been resolved, according to a news release from Pro Ecuador. Some shipments have encountered delays, however, compounded by some shipping line services being reduced.
“This is an unprecedented situation throughout the globe but we wish to reassure our customers that Ecuador will not stop exporting; we will continue to supply high quality, safe food to our markets in the U.K., Europe, North America, and worldwide,” Juan Carlos Yépez Franco, trade commissioner of Ecuador in the London and Hamburg Pro Ecuador offices, said in the release.
As in the U.S., Ecuador saw a spike in demand for food in the early days of the pandemic, but there’s been a slight decrease in fresh produce orders.
Exports are still undergoing the appropriate phytosanitary controls and certifications for exports and good agricultural practices continue, Yépez Franco said.
“So far, Ecuador’s fresh produce suppliers have managed to keep their operations going,” he said in the release. “Exporters, likewise, continue to do their best to ship products as scheduled, although some delays have been inevitable because of shipping lines reducing the frequency of their services. Concerns regarding a shortage of packaging materials thankfully have not been realized, at least not up to now.”
To see more information on import and exports during the pandemic, see The Packer’s COVID-19 news updates webpage.
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