Chile: Fires out of control caused loss to fruit growing

Fruit growing presents a catastrophic scenario due to the damage caused by the fires that have caused the loss of properties, lack of drinking water and accessible shelters. Jorge Valenzuela, president of Fedefruta - the Chilean National Federation of Fruit Producers - stated that the producers of the regions of Ñuble, Biobío and Araucanía are experiencing a critical situation: damage to crops, warehouses, solar panels, processing rooms, water tanks and fumigation equipment. In the Ñuble region, cherry and lemon producers have the worst balance sheet: loss of the entire crop and, in the most serious cases, of entire farms. For blueberries, damages of over 200 tons of product for fresh sale are estimated. These are just some of the issues that emerged from the first estimates on the effects of exposure to high temperatures. Federfrutta assured that it will collect information from farmers in the areas most affected by the fire - Ñuble, Biobío and La Araucanía, as well as ...