Chilean growers facing extra costs

Economic factors are affecting returns for Chilean fruit producers, despite record volumes of fruit exports. Recently, a new law was passed that reduced the working week from 48 to 45 hours and the value of the Chilean peso against the dollar has fallen by around 30 percent in the last two years. Transportation costs have also risen by around 30 percent, and in 2004/2005 three med fly outbreaks meant that fruit has to be fumigated or cold treated.