Improved Nogales port of entry facility expected to open in mid-August
Improved Nogales port of entry facility expected to open in mid-August
An infrastructure improvement at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, AZ, consisting of the addition of two new lanes, including a new fast lane, is expected to be completed by mid-August. The improvement is designed to speed the process of getting produce trucks from Mexico across the border into the United States to the warehouses in Nogales.
Long waiting times for produce trucks at the border have long been a problem, particularly during the winter when fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico are at their peak and upwards of 1,200 trucks are crossing on a daily basis. Long delays not only increase transportation costs, but they also reduce the shelf life of the perishable products aboard. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales has given a great deal of attention to the problem.
Coming up with funding for the needed infrastructure improvements has been a challenge, but the association, working with a group called the Border Trade Alliance, was able to secure funding from the state of Arizona to add two new lanes on the U.S. side of the border and from the Mexican state of Sonora for extension of the two lanes on the Mexican side.
With the expansion, there will now be a total of four truck lanes through the screening areas at the port of Mariposa, according to FPAA President Lee Frankel. One of those will be dedicated to what is being called a "fast lane" that will expedite the crossing for trucks participating in a special security program.
For trucks to qualify to use the fast lane, the Mexican producer and exporter and the U.S. importer must be registered in the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, and bills of lading must be furnished to Customs in advance.
The program "helps minimize some of the risks that Customs and [the U.S. Department of] Homeland Security are concerned about," while reducing the time it takes to get trucks through the various inspections and across the border, Mr. Frankel said. Produce buyers and consumers in the United States will benefit by receiving produce that is fresher than it would be if trucks continued to experience long delays.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new lanes is scheduled for Aug. 15. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Sonora Gov. Eduardo Bours are among the dignitaries expected to be present.
Long waiting times for produce trucks at the border have long been a problem, particularly during the winter when fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico are at their peak and upwards of 1,200 trucks are crossing on a daily basis. Long delays not only increase transportation costs, but they also reduce the shelf life of the perishable products aboard. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales has given a great deal of attention to the problem.
Coming up with funding for the needed infrastructure improvements has been a challenge, but the association, working with a group called the Border Trade Alliance, was able to secure funding from the state of Arizona to add two new lanes on the U.S. side of the border and from the Mexican state of Sonora for extension of the two lanes on the Mexican side.
With the expansion, there will now be a total of four truck lanes through the screening areas at the port of Mariposa, according to FPAA President Lee Frankel. One of those will be dedicated to what is being called a "fast lane" that will expedite the crossing for trucks participating in a special security program.
For trucks to qualify to use the fast lane, the Mexican producer and exporter and the U.S. importer must be registered in the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, and bills of lading must be furnished to Customs in advance.
The program "helps minimize some of the risks that Customs and [the U.S. Department of] Homeland Security are concerned about," while reducing the time it takes to get trucks through the various inspections and across the border, Mr. Frankel said. Produce buyers and consumers in the United States will benefit by receiving produce that is fresher than it would be if trucks continued to experience long delays.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new lanes is scheduled for Aug. 15. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Sonora Gov. Eduardo Bours are among the dignitaries expected to be present.
