Mexico has established new logistics routes that have allowed it to increase exports to Europe and Asia.
The direct sea route, for the transportation of fresh and finished products, between Hamburg, Germany, and Veracruz, and Altamira was inaugurated in 2015.
A pilot test shipment of 9.6 tons of fresh berries that departed on January 24 from Valparaiso, Chile, and arrived to Manzanillo on February 9 was conducted in another waterway. On February 11, that shipment was sent by plane to Hong Kong, arriving in Singapore on February 13.
"This proves the importance of Mexico as a logistics platform for America," said Francisco Gonzalez, CEO of ProMéxico.
This route, dubbed River Trade, is intended to channel Latin American exports of perishable products to Asia, via Manzanillo-Guadalajara. It is an alternative to the ports of Los Angeles and Miami and reduces the export time between five and eight days.
A third route, between Lazaro Cardenas and Shanghai, allowed increasing Mexican exports of avocados to China from 1,260 tons in the first half of 2014 to 5,339 tons in the same period of 2015.
"The trip lasts 19 days and this is very important, because if it lasted more than 22 days it would become dangerous for the shelf life of the avocado," said Ricardo Vega, CEO of Fruit Veil, a company located in Uruapan Michoacan that sends avocados to the United States, Canada, Japan, and China.
Another notable case is that of the Guadalajara International Airport, which has a maximum annual capacity of 350,000 tons, a cold chamber, and a phytosanitary inspection centre for perishable products. The airport has two-flights per week to Seoul and five to Hong Kong.
On these flights, Mexico imports a high volume of high technology and exports a lower volume of agro-industrial products.
Source: americaeconomia.com