"The workers have already lost 40 percent of their salary thanks to the devaluation that this government made," said Lucio Quilpatay, secretary general of the Union of Workers that Handle, Package and Ship Fresh Fruit and Vegetables in Cuyo. Quilpatay stated that there were currently about 4,000 people working in garlic and fruit crops.
He stressed that they were working normally despite the difficulties caused by the heavy rains, and that the employers that have taken good care of their production and have good fruit were earning a lot of money.
In this regard, he said, all the employers are happy with this government because it increased the dollar's price so they are making more profits via their exports. In addition, he said, the prices of all fruits and vegetables increased.
The leader said that there would be more work in the coming days because of the start of the harvest of some vegetable crops. He also highlighted the emergence of new job sources, such as the 30 establishments that cut vegetables so they can be used for salads.
However, he clarified, the fruit and vegetables sector is going through a difficult time because of several factors, such as the rains, the hail, the economy, the government, and the diseases affecting exports . He also spoke about the difficulties faced by cherry producers, which were affected by weather conditions, and the difficulties faced by the producers of apricot from Alvear, who had to leave their fruit on the trees.
Quilpatay spoke about the mistakes being made and said: "Both the government and the businesses make errors; for example, not renewing plants, not using nets against hail, not investing to cure the crops. The weather's not responsible for everything, there's also some negligence."
Context
It's worth noting that Mendoza is the first garlic producer in Argentina and the second worldwide. It also stands out in the national level because it produces fruits of excellent natural quality, thanks to the area's agro-climatic characteristics and irrigation with melted water from the Andes.
Mendoza has in total 226 packing plants, 127 of which also have cold storage facilities. There are 14 companies that are only dedicated to offering cold service and 3 canneries that have cold storage facilities for their own production.
Finally, the fruit harvest forecast for Mendoza indicates that "this season's harvest fruit, without taking into account January's olive production forecasts, will stand at 513,067 tons, i.e. according to estimates this production will be 9% lower than the one obtained in the 2014/15 campaign."
Source: elsol.com.ar