The Government maintains no supervision or inspection of the 

 pack. 



Shrimp for export are packed in one-piece 5-pound waxed cartons 

 which cost about $62 per thousand. Dealers estimate that all the 

 material for packing, including cartons, master cartons, and strapping, 

 costs about 2|- cents per pound. 



In the retail market at Manta, young P. occidentalis taken at 

 Caraquez with cast nets were selling for s/3 a pound (about 17 cents a 

 pound). They were vrhole and ran more than a hundred to the pound. In 

 Quito the retail prices of frozen peeled small shrimp were s/12 per 

 pound (about 68 cents) and cooked peeled were s/l8 per pound (about $1.02), 

 Large frozen shrimp were retailing for s/l2 whole and s/lU headless per 

 pound (about 68 and 80 cents). 



There are about 50 full-time and probably more than 100 part- 

 time employees, all male, employed in the processing plants. About 10 of 

 these full-time employees spend less than half of their time on shrimp. 

 The full-time workers average about s/200 (about $11.36) per week. In 

 general they are on a contract basis for 7 days a week with a guaranteed 

 minimum overtime. They get time off when work is slack. The standard 

 work week is kk hours. The workers are not unionized. The full-time 

 plant workers are under social security. The total assessment is 11 per- 

 cent of the salary of which the employer pays 6 percent and the employee 

 5 percent. 



FOREIGN TRADE 



General 



Recently, because of mounting imports, Ecuador has had to take 

 various emergency measures. In September 1955, dried, smoked, and salted 

 fish and anchovies and anchovy paste were placed on the embargo list. 

 Only very small quantities of canned shrimp are imported. No outright 

 prohibition has yet been placed on shrimp imports, probably because the 

 quantity is so small. 



Ecuador is pri^iarily agricultural , There is little manufacturing 

 and no heavy industry. In July of 1955 the unfavorable balance of trade 

 had almost reached $10 million, but immediate measures were taken and 

 early in October this deficit had dropped to about $i|..5 million. 



56 



