US demand for Peruvian agricultural products, such as blueberries, asparagus, avocados, and grapes continues to grow, as well as the opportunities to make these exports more competitive in time and costs.
Port of Miami, the closest port to Peru and one of the ports with the largest movement within the US, which already receives various fresh agricultural products sent from El Callao on a nine-day trip (eight from Paita) without transshipment in Panama, is a competitive alternative to air shipments and a great advance for the commercial exchange between both countries.
How was it possible to open this route and why hadn't it been opened before? The key was the cold treatment for agricultural shipments, a process that is applied to the importation of fresh fruits and vegetables and that consists of maintaining the containers at a constant cold temperature during a period determined by the Agency of Animal and Plant Health of the United States (APHIS).
In the past, certain Peruvian products, such as table grapes and blueberries, could only enter the United States through certain ports in the North Atlantic. However, the program started in December 2016, with a shipment from Paita and in August of this year from El Callao, allows these products to be imported directly through Port of Miami if they undergo cold treatment, establishing a promising commercial route for this type of shipments directly to Florida and the south-eastern United States.
Thanks to the efforts of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) and the Perishable Products Coalition of Florida, and Senasa, once the containers arrive in Miami, the Peruvian products can be distributed immediately for their sale, which generates greater efficiencies in the direct distribution to the US market. According to representatives of PortMiami, this port's location and its great land connection offers Peruvian agricultural exporters the possibility of reaching up to 70% of the US population in just four days.
"The Peruvian market continues to grow and has a very competitive position when compared with other markets. That's why we've made a change in our services so that we can offer excellent transit to all these destinations. We are moving goods that, two years ago, had to be sent to Philadelphia and then returned to Miami by road, which increased costs for exporters. Now, the products can enter Miami thanks to the cold treatment," said a representative of Port of Miami during their participation in the Expoalimentaria fair in Lima.
Source: Gestion.pe