IPO’s second Global Conference
IPO’s second Global Conference
The Second meeting of the International Pineapple Organization Global Pineapple Conference March 19-20, hosted by the Port Tampa Bay and sponsored by Ports America & CSX Railroad, was an opportunity to showcase the expansion plans and the interest by Port Tampa Bay and its partners. Among the Port Tampa Bay’s plans is a multimodal refrigerated Rail Trans shipment project that is currently in its design stage.
“This was a hands-on opportunity for the shipper and importer community to visit a port, very unusual in today’s world, on such a personal level was very enlightening for shippers and importers,” said IPO Executive Director Will Cavan. “The IPO encourages other ports to do the same for the entire produce community in general and the pineapple supply chain in particular.
“Port Manatee has offered to do the same with the IPO in the near future,” he said.
The potential for a proposed USDA/AMS Pineapple Research & Promotion Board was the hot topic at the conference.
Other attendees included representatives from Maersk Lines, Altamar Shipping and ZIM Integrated Lines, which are major carriers on the North-South pineapple trade route. Shippers and importers were able to interact with these carriers, as well as homeland security officials. The IPO has offered to help spearhead the petition process, hoping to achieve a referendum and a vote for the proposed research and promotion board.
Cavan announced that the next IPO meeting will be June 16-21 in Oahu, HI. Visits are planned to the ULUPONO Initiative, Maui Land & Pineapple Co. and the original Pineapple Research Institute. The location should draw pineapple producers from Australia, Malyasia, the Philippines and Thailand. On Nov. 5-6, the IPO will hold another meeting in Costa Rica.
