The insecurity situation continues to worry the shrimp sector. According to the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), thefts from production units in the first quarter of this year increased by 35% compared to the first three months of 2022.

But it is not only this figure that has caused concern, according to the union. They show that in the same period, this year 2023, product theft has increased to 25%; that of balanced food increased by 100%; and that the number of wounded doubled.

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According to the CNA Security Directorate, in more than 100 days to date this year, between Guayas and El Oro, more than 30 crimes have been recorded, of which 15 at river level and 18 on land, while the balance is 29 people injured.

As part of the figures, they cite the latest events: in less than a day, seven people associated with the sector were injured.

In the early morning of this Thursday, April 13, four people who mobilized in a truck transporting shrimp on the way to Taura, one was injured by alleged criminals who intercepted the vehicle.

The second incident took place on April 12 in the Gulf of Guayaquil, where gunmen shot and wounded six of the nine crew members on board.

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In the statistics of the union, they show that the highest incidence of crime with respect to land routes is on the 26th kilometer of the Naranjal road, Taura; as well as on Durán-Tambo and Playas roads. As for the level of the river, they mention that it is the Gulf of Guayaquil (Puerto Roma and Punta Piedra) and the Jambelí Archipelago.

Through your Twitter account, José Antonio Camposano, executive president of CNA, questioned the lack of action by the state to ensure security.

“We have never lived in helplessness like today! The state does not act! There are no effective actions to deal with the level of violence with which we are attacked. It was not an attack to steal products, it was an attack on people who were going to their workplace,” said Camposano.

The state, as a whole, must guarantee a peaceful environment for doing our work. Without security, there are no private endeavors that guarantee people’s well-being. Ecuador is today under the control of organized crime!” he added.