The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) met last week to put the wheels in motion to create a Chilean Table Grape Committee, to include both growers and exporters of the country's most-shipped fruit.

ASOEX secretary Edumundo Araya is the comittee's coordinator, and told www.freshfruitportal.com the association was now in its "organizational" phase with invitations open to different institutions and companies to join.

"Within 15 days we should have a formal president constituted and a work plan," Araya said.

He said the committee was initiated due to better face the industry's challenges.

"Experience shows that committees are created when we have problems that are of a scope that is totally across the industry; across growers and exporters who attack problems that have to be faced in a united and associated way.

"We are facing problems, Lobesia Botrana among them. We are working together with the rest of the industry, the Agriculture and Livestock Service, the Minister of Agriculture and all his team of course."

In terms of Lobesia Botrana - otherwise known as the European grapevine moth - Araya added that the Chilean Blueberry Committee was working together to solve the issue, and therefore the grape industry had to do the same.

"This is one of the main motive why we constituted the Table Grape Committee, and we will face other types of problems that for sure we will need to resolve together," he said.

Fedefruta president Juan Carolus Brown said there was a lot of expectation about what the committee would do, and its formation made the industry very happy.

He added the association went in hand with proposals to authorities to provide financing for phytosanitary protection and the conversion of orchards to new varieties.

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