Friday, September 18, 2015

JaxPort joins pilot program to import cold-treated produce from
S. America

JaxPort has received approval from the federal government to import select cold-treated produce from certain South American markets for the first time.

Starting Oct. 1, 2015, Jacksonville will start participating in this pilot program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Port tenants and customers will be able to import apples, grapes, blueberries, pears and citrus from Peru, Uruguay and Argentina, according to the port

statement. These perishables have traditionally been imported through northern U.S. ports and trucked to the southeast. The expanding pilot program in Florida will mean fresher produce on the store shelves for consumers and will help reduce transportation costs throughout the supply chain, the port said.

"We look forward to offering customers and shippers even more options and opportunities in cold storage importation and thank the administrators of this program for moving toward a more efficient and economical system for everyone," said JaxPort CEO Brian Taylor.

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