BLOQS4 and Telsur collaborate to introduce blockchain technology to Chilean salmon industry

Contxto – Not even Chile’s multimillion dollar salmon industry is immune to the disruptive blockchain revolution. Just this week, Chilean IT company BLOQS4 and telecommunications firm Telsur joined forces to introduce blockchain technology to national salmon companies.

Transparency, reliability and conservation

For optimization and effective management purposes, the project intends to make the sector more trustworthy and transparent. On top of this, partners aspire to make the salmon industry less environmentally harmful, particularly around Southern Chile.

“The benefits of this salmon traceability and waste management system in the framework of salmon farming sustainability are enormous,” said Alberto Guajardo, the sustainability director at BLOQS4.

As the world’s second-largest salmon producer behind Norway, this nutrient-rich fish is a pillar of the Chilean economy. Despite being a lucrative industry, it’s also controversial. Issues primarily pertain to “salmon farming” that has allegedly caused environmental damage and health concerns around Chile’s Patagonia region.

Taking this into account, BLOQS4 and Telsur intend to introduce blockchain technology to improve industrial processes. Food exporting organization MultiExport Foods and the waste management company Atando Cabos are reportedly participating as well. 

Chilean salmon blockchain

Collectively, the objective is to create a 100 percent traceable salmon supply chain. Thanks to blockchain technology, collaboration as well as coordination will be streamlined. Even better, the fact that blockchain data can’t be altered is what makes this project so trustworthy.

“With the use of blockchain, the transparency of the aquaculture sector can be increased by providing a means to track and record the entire salmon supply chain,” said Guajardo.

Along those lines, this will also allow traceability all the way from cultivation to distribution. In turn, those in the supply chain will be able to monitor salmon until they arrive at their final destination.   

In my opinion, this project certainly marks yet another milestone for Latin American blockchain initiatives. Since many believe that aquaculture is one of the most viable solutions against food scarcity, this solution could really have a global impact. Even better, Chilean salmon exports are steadily growing. 

In fact, Chile exported 829,000 tons of salmon to 70 different destinations in 2018. These included the United States, Japan and Brazil. As a result, this generated over US$517 million. 

Circular economy

According to reports, this alliance could bring about an effective circular economy model via disruptive supply chain tracking methodology. In the end, product origins will be more reliable, not to mention traceable, sustainable and ecological. 

With the incoming implementation of blockchain, companies will be better able to offer quality products to customers. In the long run, these decentralized services could do wonders for brand loyalty.

“This will undoubtedly allow companies to increase their competitiveness in international markets and provide more information to their end customers,” said Guajardo.

-CZ