Past Events

Seventh Annual Friend of Chile Award Luncheon
By Tad Thompson 12/01/2004

PHILADELPHIA -- As Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Fumo received the seventh annual Friend of Chile Award from the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market received a high profile at the recognition luncheon.

Mr. Fumo, who has worked to attract and develop logistical services for Chilean fruit shipments into Philadelphia, announced at the banquet that legislators in the state capital were within days of finalizing legislation which would fund construction of a new Philadelphia wholesale produce market, which will be located near the Delaware River, only blocks from the current market.

The existing market was completed in 1959. The states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania have fiercely competed for years for the right to house a new labor- and trade-intense wholesale produce market. The city of Philadelphia has, of course, allied with Pennsylvania as a key player in this battle.

"I will be so glad when that project is over," Mr. Fumo commented, adding that the new facility will be state of the art as was the current facility when it was built.

Among those attending and sponsoring the luncheon was Sonny DiCrecchio, general manager of the Philadelphia market. He confirmed for The Produce News that he expected the state to finalize the plan within days.

Presiding over the meeting was Robert Blackburn, president of Philadelphia's Chilean-American Chamber and deputy executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Mr. Blackburn said that Delaware River ports last year received 55 million cases of Chilean fruit.

Another speaker at the meeting was Jose Luis Morales-Molyneux, consul general of Chile, who read a letter from Chilean Ambassador Andres Bianchi, who commended Mr. Fumo's work with Chile.

Mr. Fumo's support of the ties between Delaware River ports and the Republic of Chile date back to November 1992, when he traveled on the first official trade mission to Chile along with then-mayor of Philadelphia, Edward G. Rendell (who is now governor of Pennsylvania), and a delegation from the region. Mr. Fumo said that Delaware River ports receive 85 percent of the winter fruit exported to the United States.

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