Chilean fruit exporters, grouped in the National Union of Fruit Producers (Fedefruta), rejected the 45% surcharge on fruit imports proposed by the Government of Ecuador.
The trade association called the Chilean authorities so that the country adopts reciprocal commercial measures towards Ecuador.
The president of the fruit guild, Juan Carolus Brown, said this 45% tariff would hurt domestic producers, as nine out of ten apples consumed in Ecuador are imported from Chile.
"We believe that the Chilean government should react to this, as it is not the first time that Ecuador unilaterally restricts foreign trade," he added.
Brown said he didn't understand the surcharge and that he was concerned because Chile's apple and pear season had just started and this would certainly harm producers, as they had pinned their hopes on other markets because of the oversupply of fruit and the low prices this fruit has in Europe.
Additionally, he stated, if Ecuador doesn't comply with the Economic Complementation Agreement (ACE), which allows fruits to be imported duty free, Chile should react with reciprocity.
"An equivalent measure of our country would be taxing imports of bananas or flowers from Ecuador," added Brown.
90% of the apples that the Ecuadorians eat are produced in Chile, stated FEDEFRUTA on Tuesday.
The import trade of fruit between Chile and Ecuador reaches between 70 and 80 million.
Ecuador is the main destination of Chilean fresh fruit in Latin America, after Colombia and Brazil. In the 2013-2104 season, exports of these perishable products to Ecuador totalled 83,000 tons, i.e. 16% of total exports to the region.
Source: DiarioOpinion.com