Chilean fruit grower group Fedefruta has cried foul about Ecuador's tariff hike to 45%, which is due to be implemented today and is aimed at improving the country's balance of payments deficit.

In a release, the association's president Juan Carolus Brown expressed total rejection of the unilateral measure, highlighting that nine out of every 10 apples consumed in Ecuador came from Chile.

"We would value that the Chilean government, through Direcon, reacts to this  incident as it is not the first time Ecuador has unilaterally restricted foreign trade," Brown  said.

"The Chilean pome fruit season just started and this without a doubt will lead to damages for apple growers who, due to the oversupply and lower prices in Europe, have pinned their hopes on other markets."

"An equivalent measure from our country would be to tax imports of bananas or flowers from Ecuador."

He added the Chilean fruit industry did not understand how such a measure could be taken given its effect on suppliers and the Ecuadorian population.

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