Once again, after 10 years of not doing so, the port of Mar del Plata started shipping frozen pre-fried potatoes produced by McCain, in Balcarce, to Brazil. The Container Terminal Two Company (TC2- for its acronym in Spanish) was in charge of the operation of stowing four loaded containers on MSC's Tobago Bay, which took 100,000 kilos of potatoes to the neighboring country.
"It's a good development for us that McCain trusts the logistics established in port of Mar del Plata and that they test making exports from Mar del Plata. For the moment, they will be exporting about 15 containers per month, but that amount could increase. Modifying the logistics of such a big company is not easy," said Emilio Bustamante, the director of TC2, the terminal that dowloaded 80 empty containers and loaded 90 full containers onto MSC's ship; an operation which involved 100 operators.
McCain, one of the leaders of the frozen food segment, established in 1995 in Argentina with a model plant in Balcarce. There, the company produces 27 tons of different types of potatoes per hour.
70% of McCain's production in Balcarce is intended to supply its customers in Brazil, which includes McDonald's, Burger King, and the Brazilian company Bob's.
Currently most of the this volume, which is equivalent to 150 containers per week, is being exported by trucks, and the port of Mar del Plata wants to offer the logistics of shipping it through them.
"We have the equipment and highly trained staff to move an average of 30 to 35 containers per hour, depending on climatic factors," said Bustamante, while thanking the MSC shipping company for "contributing to consolidate exports from Mar del Plata and the region." The director also said that, thanks to this experience, Maersk had expressed its interest in the shipment of pre-fried frozen potatoes.
Source: lanacion.com.ar