Chile: Fedefruta elects veteran agronomist as new president - FreshFruitPortal.com

Chile: Fedefruta elects veteran agronomist as new president

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Chile: Fedefruta elects veteran agronomist as new president

The new leader of Chilean fruit grower association Fedefruta believes the country can double its fruit plantations if the right public policies are put in place, but he has a battle ahead shifting the tone of labor reform in its approach to rural development. Ramón Achurra

An agronomist by training with 55 years of experience in business, Ramón Achurra has assumed the new role with the presidency set to run until 2018, as Juan Carlos Brown steps down.

The 76-year-old has grown fruit from Atacama in the north to Los Lagos in the south, including table grapes, apples, pears, cherries, stonefruit, kiwifruit and blueberries.

Achurra has also worked in the wine, beef and pork industries, but it was in 2008 that he became president of Frusexta, an association that represents growers and exporters from the O'Higging region. Later, he became a director at Fedefruta in mid-2010.

His first call on the job has been for Chilean authorities to consider fruit workers in the proposed labor reform that is currently before the Constitutional Court.

"It measures our industry and any other under a roof in the cities with the same yardstick. it doesn't take into account the contractors or the seasonal workers, or even women, young people or the elderly who play an important role in rural areas," Achurra said.

The new leader emphasized he was not against labor reform however, while also stressing the importance of maintaining good labor relations.

"My first objective is to represent our association in all senses, especially with the government, ministers, banks and any organization that is linked with our industry," he told www.freshfruitportal.com.

 

"The other problem is economic, because we have had a year filled with problems, especially with the recent rain. We have to see with banks about how we can solve and reprogram all the debts the sector has."

He also emphasized a push for the fruit industry to "mechanize anything it can, especially in terms of harvests".

"Apart from that, it is important that we don't have difficulty in bringing in new varieties that are being produced and that the market demands, especially the important markets like Europe, the United States and Asia."

The Chilean fruit industry recorded US$5 billion in exports last year, compared to US$360 million in 1985.

www.freshfruitportal.com

 

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