Trade Expansion: Canaveral
Port Canaveral Admitted to Cold Storage Pilot Program Allowing Reefer Imports from South America
Port Canaveral has been named an official participant in the Southeast U.S. In-transit Cold Treatment Pilot Program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This pilot designation allows entry of in-transit, cold treated containers of agricultural products originating in South America. That includes blueberries, citrus and grapes from Peru; blueberries and grapes from Uruguay; and, apples, blueberries and pears from Argentina.
Port Canaveral's participation provides shippers, carriers and other supply chain logistics managers broader opportunities to take advantage of the port's cargo handling capabilities. It allows a limited number of containerized cargoes to enter the Florida market directly after completing a two-week cold treatment process as a safeguard against fruit flies and other pests, as well as acquiring all the required unloading clearances prior to the shipment's arrival in port.
"This designation for Port Canaveral is good news for logistics and supply chain managers importing agricultural products to meet the high-demand Central Florida consumer market," said Capt. John Murray, the port’s chief executive officer. ‘With this new designation and the port's proximity by land and sea to this high-demand market, transit time of produce and other cold-treated commodities can be dramatically reduced to save time, money and resources."