Two ships were preparing to carry pears and table grapes from Argentina's port of San Antonio Este to the Netherlands this week, after a strike by fruit workers and growers ended in the western part of the country, according to local news website Noticiasnet.com.ar.

Each boat was loaded with 3,600 pallets of pears from the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén and table grapes from San Juan province. Both vessels are destined for the port at Rotterdam.

Cristian López, general manager of port company Patagonia Norte, said the sailing date for the ships depended on the amount of cargo they received, according to the website.

As of Jan. 25, the vessels required about 50% more cargo, López said, according to the report.  He added that he hopes this season surpasses the 300,000 metric tons of pallets that were sent last season and used 88 ships. He is aiming for an increase in cargo of between 15% and 20%.

“That was the worst season in the history of Patagonia Norte,” he was quoted as saying.

Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com