Carlos Fraschini, President of the Union of Producers and Exporters of Fruits of Uruguay (Upefruy), said that the plantations of citrus that had been affected by the frost in June 2012 had recovered.
He added that, "there is a turnaround in the value of our currency and a greater opportunity to place our fruit in the U.S."
Fraschini said that exports of Valencia Late orange to the U.S. had increased from four containers last year, when the American market first opened to Uruguayan citrus, to 200 so far this season. He also stressed the importance of the American market for the sector.
However, when speaking about the local scene for the next few years, Upefruy's president said Uruguay "will continue to be a country where it is expensive to produce, there will be a shortage of human resources, restrictions on access to long-term credit and higher interest rates, but," he stressed, "there will be progress in social integration."
The businessman recalled that the export sector was in crisis in 2008 and emphasized its dependence on the European Union, where they would send 70% of their exports. He also noted that the high costs of producing and exporting affected competitiveness and that investment was restricted because of their high debt.
Fraschini said the Uruguayan citrus sector occupied 17,000 acres and produced 17,000 jobs, 75% of which were seasonal.
"It is a relatively small sector, but it is qualified and socially important because it gives a job to one person per hectare," he said.
He noted that the sector had over forty years experience in exports, which had gained them international recognition for the quality of their fruit and had helped them respond well to the new safety requirements.
The president of Upefruy stressed that they had to find a way to get the financial resources to renew 50% of citrus crops, as it was a viable business and the challenge was to re-launch it.
Fraschini emphasized that what was important in 2014 was to structure public-private effort and define the tools that would drive the process.
"It's an integrated sector, which makes production feasible, expansion can only come from the export of fresh fruit," he said, adding that "the ultimate goal is to develop a sustainable citrus industry."
Source: The Observer / Fresh Fruit Portal