Cargo Processing: Port Manatee
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Port Manatee Joins USDA Pilot Program for Imported Cold-Treated Produce
Port Manatee has won federal approval to receive direct imports of select cold-treated South American produce via an expanding pilot program.
Port Manatee may begin participation in the Florida Perishables Trade Coalition pilot program effective October 1, according to approval received September 10 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The approval follows a July 9 meeting at Port Manatee with federal officials and stakeholders. During the meeting, officials of USDA’s APHIS were joined by counterparts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in explaining the pilot program’s procedures and benefits.
Thanks to new technologies for shipboard cold treatment, it is no longer necessary for ships to take South American fruit to northern climates to alleviate pest concerns.
The pilot program was initiated in fall 2013 with allowance of imports of cold-treated grapes and blueberries from Peru and Uruguay into ports of South Florida’s Miami Dade and Broward counties. The expanded program now also encompasses citrus from Peru, as well as blueberries, apples and pears from Argentina.
"We are enthusiastic about the opportunities our participation in this pilot program offers as Port Manatee looks to advance as Florida’s leading on-dock cold storage port," said Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras.
Port Manatee has won federal approval to receive direct imports of select cold-treated South American produce via an expanding pilot program.
Port Manatee may begin participation in the Florida Perishables Trade Coalition pilot program effective October 1, according to approval received September 10 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The approval follows a July 9 meeting at Port Manatee with federal officials and stakeholders. During the meeting, officials of USDA’s APHIS were joined by counterparts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in explaining the pilot program’s procedures and benefits.
Thanks to new technologies for shipboard cold treatment, it is no longer necessary for ships to take South American fruit to northern climates to alleviate pest concerns.
The pilot program was initiated in fall 2013 with allowance of imports of cold-treated grapes and blueberries from Peru and Uruguay into ports of South Florida’s Miami Dade and Broward counties. The expanded program now also encompasses citrus from Peru, as well as blueberries, apples and pears from Argentina.
"We are enthusiastic about the opportunities our participation in this pilot program offers as Port Manatee looks to advance as Florida’s leading on-dock cold storage port," said Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras.
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