As heavy volumes of table grapes from Peru and Chile continue to saturate the U.S. market, logistics companies and ports are working to improve the movement of the fruit.
Thomas Holt III, running sales and marketing at Holt Logistics Corp., told Freshfruitportal.com that the supply of table grapes arriving in the U.S. is significantly outpacing last season.
"January and February volumes have been historically condensed in a short period," Holt said. "There was and is movement in the fruit market flow. However, based on arrivals and projections, the flow must improve."
He added that their mission is to move the fruit through the port as quickly as possible, "keep full visibility, and remain in constant communication with our industry partners to ensure that the fruit continues moving through the supply chain."
The company anticipated that volumes from Chile would remain strong throughout March.
Holt indicated that the entire supply chain is working to ensure continued good progress, but said that stakeholders need to continue to work cooperatively and proactively to ensure a successful season.
"We are continuing to communicate aggressively with the shippers, shipping lines, and importers to make them aware in real-time when the flow is slowing down and that demand needs to pick up quickly to maintain a balance between supply and demand, ensuring smooth flow through the system," Holt said.
Even though there is more cold storage capacity in the Philadelphia area than ever before, Holt said that for a variety of reasons, cold storage capacity is limited right now.
"We anticipate that as we work cooperatively throughout the supply chain, the current capacity issues will be successfully resolved," he indicated.
Holt assured that Holt Logistics and its client companies will continue to provide the best service possible given the challenging market conditions and do all it can to protect the fruit's integrity.
"Our priority is to keep the fruit moving, and we are committed to working with our partners to ensure a successful season," he said. "We hope importers and retailers join us in that effort by optimizing their inventory management and promoting products at retail."
The first edition of GrapeTech will be held on June 18 at the Casino Monticello Event Center. The event, organized by UvaNova and Yentzen Group, will be the most important technical event on table grapes in Chile and will bring together world experts to provide technical aspects that allow the growth of the industry, such as post-harvest issues, crop management, analysis of new varieties and nutrition, among others—more information at events@yentzengroup.com or visit www.grapetechconvention.com.
