Protests from workers have caused bottlenecks to Chilean salmon processing industry. Government says that deals have been reached with workers in Quellón.
BioBioChile reports that the government has confirmed that the routes are now cleared in the country’s salmon farming/processing heartlands in Chiloé, Central Chile, after reaching agreements with the trade unions.
Plants have been working at just 50 per-cent capacity with industry body SalmonChile declaring that nearly a million are in the queue waiting to be processed. For the past three weeks, the country has been gripped in protests and civil unrest against the government.
The Washington Post reported that Chile’s president sent a bill to Congress on Wednesday to raise the minimum wage one of a series of measures to try to contain the protests.
However, 33 Segundos is currently live-streaming footage in Puerto Montt showing fires and protesters in the streets.
Yesterday, SalmonBusiness reported that prices for Chilean salmon have increased 22 per cent and currently stand at USD 5 per kilo ((gutted weight/FOB price at Southern Chile’s processing plants)..
Philadelphia-based fish wholesaler Samuels and Son told SalmonBusiness that its buyers were working to keep customers stocked while offering Canadian alternatives such as Jail Island Salmon which is packed by True North Seafood, which is a part of Cooke.
“Our salmon prices have been higher than usual for the past 2 weeks. We’re not able to bring in as much Chilean Salmon as we generally need, so we turn some of our customers onto the premium salmon we provide, like Jail Island Salmon. It’s gone very well,” a spokesperson said.
