Fresh Produce Association of the Americas will expand into San Diego
Fresh Produce Association of the Americas will expand into San Diego
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales, AZ, is a trade association that has historically represented Nogales-based companies or companies with a Nogales presence involved in growing, packing, sales and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico.
Most of the products coming into Nogales are grown in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora in northwestern mainland Mexico, directly to the south of Nogales, although products coming to Nogales also originate in other parts of the country.
The Baja California peninsula is an increasingly important growing area in Mexico for products destined for the U.S. market. Much of that product crosses the border near San Diego, and much of it is handled by California companies.
The FPAA is now in the process of expanding its membership base to include companies from San Diego, according to Lee Frankel, the organization's president. The FPAA board of directors has recently put in place the legal structure and rules "for us to be able to operate in San Diego," Mr. Frankel said. "It appears there are about seven companies ready to go. That should be coming into place soon" with a formal kickoff about the first of January. He said that the names of the companies initially participating should be announced by the end of November.
The FPAA deals with a wide range of issues of concern to its members. Many of those issues involve working with government agencies in Mexico and the United States to expedite border crossings of produce shipments arriving from the growing areas. Recently, the effort to improve the infrastructure at the port of entry has been a major priority.
A project to add two lanes to the port of entry that "we thought we had wrapped up" has run into some snags, according to Mr. Frankel. "We still haven't received the final documentation necessary for that project to actually start moving dirt," and the FPAA was "working with the Mexican government bureaucracy and all the different agencies that have to sign off" on the project in order to get it moving. He was hopeful that the project would be under way within a couple of weeks.
"Longer term, we are working [toward] the full refurbishment and reconstruction of the port that will bring it up to a potential for eight commercial lanes and much more dock space, as well as permanent refrigerated dock space." Securing the necessary government funding for that project "is going to be a big push" for the organization over the coming year, he said.
At this point, the U.S. infrastructure at the port is inadequate for agency officers to do their jobs efficiently, "which creates delays in shipments" and diminishes the freshness of the products arriving at the warehouses in Nogales. That "ultimately translates into higher costs for customers and a lower return for growers," he said.
A refurbishment is needed for the industry to be able to service its customers better and meet their demands. It will enable inspectors to better fulfill their important missions, such as keeping out unwanted pests, without causing unnecessary delays.
Refrigerated dock space at the port will provide the necessary accommodations for particularly perishable items that cannot "sit on the dock at ambient temperatures for four hours waiting for an inspection" without the product suffering damage.
Another area in which the association is currently working is in its effort to try "to have some of the anti-narcotics money that the U.S. sends to Mexico be deployed in the produce corridors" and used to "modernize the contraband inspection checkpoints within Mexico." That should help "minimize delays in transit as well as breaks in the cold chain" on the one hand, and also "allow law enforcement officials in Mexico to do their job better and discourage our produce corridor from being used by the drug trade," he said.
(For more on the Nogales deal, see the Nov. 28 issue of The Produce News.)
Most of the products coming into Nogales are grown in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora in northwestern mainland Mexico, directly to the south of Nogales, although products coming to Nogales also originate in other parts of the country.
The Baja California peninsula is an increasingly important growing area in Mexico for products destined for the U.S. market. Much of that product crosses the border near San Diego, and much of it is handled by California companies.
The FPAA is now in the process of expanding its membership base to include companies from San Diego, according to Lee Frankel, the organization's president. The FPAA board of directors has recently put in place the legal structure and rules "for us to be able to operate in San Diego," Mr. Frankel said. "It appears there are about seven companies ready to go. That should be coming into place soon" with a formal kickoff about the first of January. He said that the names of the companies initially participating should be announced by the end of November.
The FPAA deals with a wide range of issues of concern to its members. Many of those issues involve working with government agencies in Mexico and the United States to expedite border crossings of produce shipments arriving from the growing areas. Recently, the effort to improve the infrastructure at the port of entry has been a major priority.
A project to add two lanes to the port of entry that "we thought we had wrapped up" has run into some snags, according to Mr. Frankel. "We still haven't received the final documentation necessary for that project to actually start moving dirt," and the FPAA was "working with the Mexican government bureaucracy and all the different agencies that have to sign off" on the project in order to get it moving. He was hopeful that the project would be under way within a couple of weeks.
"Longer term, we are working [toward] the full refurbishment and reconstruction of the port that will bring it up to a potential for eight commercial lanes and much more dock space, as well as permanent refrigerated dock space." Securing the necessary government funding for that project "is going to be a big push" for the organization over the coming year, he said.
At this point, the U.S. infrastructure at the port is inadequate for agency officers to do their jobs efficiently, "which creates delays in shipments" and diminishes the freshness of the products arriving at the warehouses in Nogales. That "ultimately translates into higher costs for customers and a lower return for growers," he said.
A refurbishment is needed for the industry to be able to service its customers better and meet their demands. It will enable inspectors to better fulfill their important missions, such as keeping out unwanted pests, without causing unnecessary delays.
Refrigerated dock space at the port will provide the necessary accommodations for particularly perishable items that cannot "sit on the dock at ambient temperatures for four hours waiting for an inspection" without the product suffering damage.
Another area in which the association is currently working is in its effort to try "to have some of the anti-narcotics money that the U.S. sends to Mexico be deployed in the produce corridors" and used to "modernize the contraband inspection checkpoints within Mexico." That should help "minimize delays in transit as well as breaks in the cold chain" on the one hand, and also "allow law enforcement officials in Mexico to do their job better and discourage our produce corridor from being used by the drug trade," he said.
(For more on the Nogales deal, see the Nov. 28 issue of The Produce News.)
