An association of fresh fruit and vegetable importers and distributors, called the Fresh Produce Import Alliance (FPIA), has been established in the US in response to new regulations imposed by various government agencies.
The association comprises importers, customs brokers, exporters, grower-shippers, ocean carriers, freight haulers and coldstorage operators who are primarily based in the New York/New Jersey area, FPIA said in a press release.
During 2012 FPIA said there have been many new regulatory changes in the US import industry which have created additional challenges and expenses for companies involved.
Americafruit has learnt that those changes largely relate to new US Customs regulations regarding the clearance and cold-treatment of products entering the US market.
Before inbound shipments can be cleared, US Customs is now requiring that inbound shipments pass through a Centralized Examination Station (CES), of which there are only a limited number in the New York and Newark area.
The change to the certification ruling is apparently causing delays to shipments and increased costs as steamship lines are charging importers demurrage fees, industry sources told Americafruit.
In addition, US Customs is now requiring that containers loads of fruit that exceed the prescribed tolerance for temperature during transit must be re-treated at a facility that has been certified for this kind of fumigation.
Once again, industry pundits have told Americafruit that this new policy particularly impacts imports through New York and Newark area ports since there is only one certified facility which has very limited capacity.
To alleviate the situation, FPIA said it will focus on actively working with the many government agencies responsible for overseeing the direct importation of fresh fruit and vegetables to alleviate those challenges.
Through active participation, the FPIA said it can help the federal agencies in achieving their goals and objectives while at the same time reducing import costs and increasing efficiencies so that the perishable cargo can be cleared sooner.
“If growers and importers determine that the financial risks are too great then we will see significant reductions in import volumes at the many regional ports,” FPIA warned in its news statement.
“This reduction in volume will result in losses of tax revenue, government fees and more importantly losses of jobs throughout the region”.
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