The article reports on the decrease in the commercial harvest of pears and apples in the Río Negro Valley and Neuquén region in the first quarter, with a total of 969,800 tons, marking a 2% decrease from the previous year. Despite the overall decline, the pear harvest saw a 2% increase, reaching 582,500 tons, the highest in five years. In contrast, the apple harvest experienced an 8% drop, totaling 387,300 tons. Nicolás Sánchez, CEO of Patagonia Food and president of the Argentine Chamber of Integrated Fruit Growers (CAFI), discussed the challenges faced by the industry, such as increased production costs due to the government's strategy to control inflation, market volatility in the United States and Europe, and the need for lower labor taxes to maintain profitability. Navigation by sea will continue for another 2 to 3 weeks for shipments, and there are plans to extend this until December to January for shipments within Latin America.