The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) addressed the logistical impact of a recently enacted regulations which have caused a bottleneck of commercial trucks carrying produce from Mexico to the U.S, saying the entity is encouraged by recent announcements that some of the border crossings in Texas have been reopened but urged " that normal border access between the United States and Mexico resume as soon as possible."

In a statement, the IFPA said that the actions of Texan authorities  have severely disrupted the movement of fresh fruits and vegetables along Texas’ ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in increased inspection delays and loss of product.

“The action by the State of Texas has resulted in a huge backlog of fresh produce. In some cases there are reported delays of 30+ hours at the border, with the state inspections interfering with the responsibilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is already tasked with border inspections and security,” explains IFPA Chief Policy Officer, Robert Guenther.

“In turn, produce that was destined to United States consumers, in some cases, will have to be destroyed because of the perishability of our products.  This will result in millions of lost economic production not only in Mexico but to the state of Texas and potentially other border states that are now experiencing similar delays. We urge the Governor to convene all stakeholders impacted by this decision and resolve this issue as soon as possible.”

Both workforce and supply chain are policy priority issue for IFPA, and the organization is working with allied industry groups and federal stakeholders on prompt resolution of this trade disruption, the statement added.

The IFPA's statement follows the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas which directly called on Texas State Governor Greg Abbott to reconsider their recently enacted “Texas Border Truck Inspection Enforcement Action”, warning that the inspections are carried out by the state Department of Public Safety  “are repetitive, and so far are resulting in damage to millions of dollars of perishable fresh produce each day”.

(Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)