The cooperative of fruit growers from Fernández Oro, in the province of Rio Negro, are giving away some 150,000 kilos of pears that they harvested last season and kept in cold storage because they could not sell them in the domestic market.
"We did not sell this fruit for several reasons, including the low prices that the packers offered us for it, so we stored it in cold rooms but we need that space now that the new harvest is about to start, said the head of the cooperative, Edgar Artero.
"We prefer giving it away than throwing it away. It's better people, individuals, or institutions use it. However, it's not easy delivering the fruit because we can't just leave nearly 400 bins, each with 400 kilos, on route 22, where we are located, as that could cause accidents," he added.
Artero said: "We hope that a government agency will assist us in this, for example, by taking care of the freight charges so we can distribute the fruit in different towns of the province in an organized manner."
"These are Packhams pears, they have an excellent quality and their flesh is still firm because they were well preserved for a year. They are ready to be consumed fresh or to make sweets or canned products," he added.
Other parts of the High Valley of Rio Negro are also affected by this situation. Sources from the provincial secretariat have stated that they are planning official actions to ensure this fruit isn't wasted.
