Losses due to lack of export, trucks vandalized, 5,000 flower stems incinerated, withered flowers, invasion of private property, and great uncertainty about what will happen to jobs and with what money salaries will be paid is the balance left by the road closures carried out by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).
This is explained by flower growers of small plants in the Cotopaxi areas, as well as the flower exporters guild (Expoflores).
In accordance with Expoflores, only in exports, the losses amount to $ 35 million. About $2.5 million a day is lost to cargo that doesn’t make it to the airport. Not only have exports been affected, but 85 trucks loaded with flowers have been vandalized (windshields broken, flat tires, attacks on drivers) and more than 5,000 flower stems incinerated. In addition, Expoflores received reports of invasion of private property, material damage to floriculture, threats and intimidation of workers. At the moment, $250,000 a day have been lost in wages of workers who could not get to their jobs, due to the closure of roads, extortion to participate in the marches and others, they explained.
“Every day 3,000 salaries of workers in the sector are at risk due to unemployment. From the data handled by Expoflores, $6 out of every $10 a day that we export goes to the communities. The impact is real, there will be a significant deficit in production. If production stops, it will take time to recover it,” says Alejandro MartÃnez, executive president of Expoflores.
On June 20, the Association of Exporters of Flowers of Ecuador sent a letter to Conaie in which it reiterates its position of openness to dialogue. However, so far there has been no response. The roadblocks, raids on flower growers and extortion of workers have continued, indicates the flower growers union.
For its part, José Merizalde, general coordinator of the Chamber of Producers of Flores del Sur, and whose farm is in Cotopaxi, explains that in his province, as well as in Chimborazo, Tungurahua and the south of Pichincha (Machachi), people are living a real crisis. He comments that his union brings together at least 300 small and medium-sized farms (from 500 m2 to 100 ha.). He says that they have been harmed by the closure of roads in such a way that its flowers are already being damaged. The biggest problem is the impossibility of taking the flower to the Quito airport. He explains that in addition to road closures, The demonstrators have proceeded to physically and verbally assault their workers. They have even entered flower farms and taken them away to force them to participate in the strike.
The measure has in fact affected at least 20,000 families that depend on direct jobs and another 5,000 related to indirect jobs (suppliers of inputs, transporters).
But in addition, explains Merizalde, they were exporting beautiful flowers, including international award winners, to the United States (40%), Russia and the Baltic countries (30%), and the rest of Europe and the rest of the Americas (30%). Now these are withering.
It also explains that it is trying to hire charter flights that depart from Latacunga, but unfortunately this significantly increases costs. For Merizalde, at least 3,000 jobs remain at risk and it is not known how they will pay this month’s salaries. In floriculture, most of the workers are peasants and 60% are women.
“We are apolitical people, the only thing we want is to be allowed to work,” says Merizalde. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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