Delays in the attention of containers in the terminal in charge of APM Terminals, congestion in the yards, cuts in the electrical flow and the computer system, are some of the complaints of the exporting sector of Costa Rica.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Complaints of delays in the port in Limon and in charge of APM Terminals are not new, because in early April, five weeks after the start of operations of the Moin Container Terminal (TCM), reported delays of at least 25 hours of work, which was due, according to the authorities, to the demarcation work of the road between San Jose and Limon.
Two months later the situation has not changed, because in a document signed by the chambers of Exporters of Costa Rica (Cadexco), National Producers and Exporters of Pineapple (Canapep), National Agriculture and Agroindustry (CNAA), Independent Producers of Banana (Anaproban) and the National Banana Corporation (Corbana), several difficulties are denounced.
Nacion.com reports that "... According to the complaints, the system of appointments for export cargo and removal of empty APM containers, which does not exist in any other port, is totally inefficient. The failures, they said, are constant and this collapses the entire operation. Carriers said it takes four hours in a 2.5 kilometer journey to the entrance of the port terminal. This situation impacts the cold chain and the quality of perishable refrigerated cargo."
Other situations reported by exporters are the inefficient operation of gantry cranes, physical damage to containers, damage caused by waiting for ships in the bay, and that the time of departure of the ship takes up to two hours, when before it was done in half an hour.
The document concludes that these operational inefficiencies are particularly serious when 90% of the cargo moving in the port is fresh product. In addition, it is seriously damaging the quality and image of our products on the market.
In response to these complaints, APM Terminals replied that "... The complaints included in the notes of the business chambers are extemporaneous, as they refer to situations that have been addressed since the beginning of Terminal operations, as part of the transition to the new port model. The Moín Container Terminal is complying with the performance indicators contemplated in the concession contract and does not present delays in the ship service program.”
Although several companies have been affected by the measures implemented by governments in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, Costa Rican exports of coffee, pineapple and bananas have so far not faced difficulties with logistics.
Directors of the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (Icafé) indicated that so far there have been no problems with the availability of containers and that sales abroad are proceeding normally.
Following Panama's decision, the phytosanitary authorities in Guatemala and Costa Rica restricted the entry of banana and plantain-derived materials from any country because of the alert for the pest known as "wilt for fusarium.”
In the case of Guatemala, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) reported that as part of the protection and preservation of the regional agricultural heritage, the Guatemalan population and national banana and plantain producers were informed that Guatemala had activated prevention and warning measures to prevent the threat of Fusarium Oxysporum race 4 disease.
Pineapple and banana farmers can take advantage of the increased demand coming from these countries.
Being the leading exporter of pineapples in the world has not limited fruit growers in Costa Rica, who are trying to improve cultivation and their commitment to the environment in order to increase production and meet the growing demand from countries like China and India.
The company decided to export Guatemalan banana through Port Chiapas, in Mexico.
Marco García, CEO of Del Monte Guatemala, explained that the port’s focus on cruise ships has caused delays of up to 9 hours, “and this is unacceptable for perishable food”.
Del Monte ships an approximate 150 banana containers a week, which represent $3.6 million in port fees, which will now go to Port Chiapas.
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