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GUYAQUIL, Dec. 29 (Reuters) – Ecuadorian instability is hurting exports of products such as bananas and shrimp, the Exporters Association said.
According to the Ecuadorian Exporters Association (Cordex), in 2022 at least 63 people involved in the export of bananas, shrimps and cocoa (a raw material for chocolate) were killed by organized crime groups and another 1,500 were injured in attacks. .
Intimidation and extortion have also been reported in three of Ecuador’s most important exports after oil, according to Cordex.
“Anxiety worries us most,” Cordex president Jose Antonio Camposano told reporters Wednesday in the port city of Guayaquil on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
“Each year, the industry represented here spends at least $100 million on security because the country cannot afford it,” he added.
The government of President Guillermo Lasso did not respond to a request for comment.
A conservative ex-banker, Russo has fought to tackle the rise in crime and violence in the streets and prisons that the government blames on drug trafficking gangs.
Ecuador’s shrimp exporters have been forced to employ armed guards to supply feed, and at least 12 roadside attacks were reported last month, Camposano said.
Banana and cocoa exporters have struggled this year with drugs in their shipments.
According to Ivan Ontaneda, president of the Cocoa Exporters Association, drug contamination in shipping containers has increased by 400% this year, with reports coming in from ports across Ecuador.
“Customers who buy products abroad are losing markets because they don’t want to get involved in the legal or criminal issues that are happening with container contamination in their supply chains,” Ontaneda said.
According to the government, Ecuadorian security forces seized 370 tons of drugs during Lasso’s 18 months as leader.
Reporting by Yury Garcia of Guayaquil Written by Oliver Griffin Editing by Leslie Adler
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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