The orange growers from Corrientes and Entre Rios dumped fruit on Route 14 in protest because they are losing money as costs are rising, prices are falling, and because of the exchange rate appreciation for exporters. Local prices don’t favour producers. According to the daily newspaper, El Clarin, producers are paid 40-50 cents per kilo of oranges while consumers pay between 8 and 10 pesos per kilo. Producers have also been affected by the recent rains, storms and hail, which have damaged the crops.
As a result, producers from the north of Entre Rios and the south Corrientes decided to take action today. They dumped fruit on the shoulder of Route 14 and stated they would be taking other measures in the coming days. Some juice companies decided not to open today because they were lacking products. Meanwhile producers have a surplus of fruits in stock.
It’s more profitable for producers to leave the fruit on the plants until they fall, or throw it away, instead of transporting it to the Central Market for sale.
The growers asked the government for three dollars per box exported to cover costs. According to the president of the Citrus Federation of Entre Rios (FeCiER), Dante Grogolatto, that would allow them to export the fruit from the country and decompress the domestic market, which would increase the fruit’s value. Beyond that, Grigolatto said, the official aid would only serve to improve the current situation, but not to solve the underlying problem.
Source: Corrienteshoy.com