Critical infrastructure for Chile

Photo: Diego Martin/Aton Chile DIEGO MARTIN/ATON CHILE Comments MR. DIRECTOR: In the middle of peak season, strikes by truck associations have generated serious connectivity problems, making it impossible to get agro-industrial shipments to the ports on time. This generates higher costs for exporting companies, but the deepest damage is to the country's reputation. Chile is a distant supplier for its buyers, and if we also fail in punctuality, the risk becomes unacceptable compared to alternatives with closer and simpler logistics. The agro-industry and fruit growing sectors cannot continue to be hostages of other guilds that take advantage of the perishability of our products to pressure, while the costs fall on farmers and exporters who are unrelated to the conflict. Therefore, as a sector, we propose that ports be included in critical infrastructure laws. Through them, what the country produces goes out, and ensuring they function without interruption is essential for Chile to meet its commitments. We cannot continue to accumulate broken contracts and lost business, because this erodes a credibility that takes years to build and is very difficult to recover. Juan Manuel Mira President of Chilealimentos More on: Connectivity Strikes Ports Agroindustry Fruit growing