The rise in logistics costs has a higher impact on businesses who export fresh produce.
Friday, January 11, 2013
On 1 January an increase came into effect of approximately 10% in the cost of shipping a container with cold storage leaving from Costa Rica.
According to an article in Nacion.com, companies that will be affected by the increase of approximately 10% are those who export fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables.
According to the president of the Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (Cadexco), Monica Segnini, the increase will have a big impact because it is added to other increases in the cost of production, such as labor, electricity, and the value of tariffs and time in the docks .
According to calculations made by exporters, the increase for a cold storage container will be about $400. However, Maersk registered an increase of $1,500 per container, while Evergreen has not yet set its rates, but says that if it does, the amount would be much lower.
Laura Bonilla, vice president of Cadexco and manager B & C exporters said that although costs have increased, while the global market is still being affected by the crisis, domestic exporters may not be able to charge more for their products.
Shipping companies are preparing to increase by between 10% and 12% the rates for maritime transport from Guatemala to the United States.
These increases have yet to be confirmed by the Federal Maritime Commission of the United States, explained Rolando Coronado, president of the Shipping Association of Guatemala, but the export sector predicts a deterioration in competitiveness.
Quetzal Port Company is offering a special rate with discounts up to 50% for ships carrying cargo whose origin and destination is Central America.
This project seeks to promote short sea shipping between the ports of Quetzal in Guatemala, Acajutla in El Salvador, Corinth in Nicaragua and Caldera in Costa Rica, and in this way reduce land freight traffic between countries in the region.
Japdeva has requested an increase of 21% in rates at ports of Limon and Moin in the Costa Rican Caribbean.
The Board of the Port Administration and Economic Development of the Atlantic (Japdeva) submitted the application to the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (Aresep), who must decide whether it supports the increase. The process could last about 75 days.
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