Little Bear Produce is a Texas-based producer-packer-shipper that cultivates 6,000 acres in Texas, supplementing its stock with products grown in Mexico so it can be a year-round supplier to large grocery chains such as Wegmans, HEB , Publix, Albertsons and Kroger. Bret Erickson, senior vice president of business affairs for Little Bear, says the additional inspections have already cost him “hundreds of thousands of dollars”, not to mention reduced wages for many unloaded loaders as the trucks did not show up. White House truckers explode in Texas as inspections disrupt traffic in Mexico “It simply came to our notice then. We would usually receive 10 to 12 loads of watermelon a day from Mexico, as well as various types of herbs and greens. “Since the middle of last week, we have received zero of these watermelon shipments,” he said. This means that the company failed to meet its business obligations with the big retailers, who in turn had to find Mexican melons from as far away as Arizona. The added distance means additional fuel costs. “We all know that the cost of fuel nowadays is outrageous. “Ultimately, it means consumers will bear the brunt of this increased cost.” “As a Texas business, we were really confused and frustrated by this decision by Governor Abbott, in a state that is advertised as business-friendly,” he said. “It was a direct blow to Texas businesses, companies that are already facing rising costs in fuel, fertilizer, labor and packaging.” The Biden government will lift restrictions on the pandemic Founded in response to the Biden government’s announcement that a pandemic-era migration barrier would be lifted, Abbott’s state inspections prompted thousands of trucks to reserve for up to eight miles at ports of entry. Trucks containing household items, car parts and other goods fixed on the shelves have been delayed, confusing supply chains that include hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border. Multi-day backups could lead to spoilage of many fruit and vegetable products, rendering them useless. Abbott said he wanted the Mexican authorities to enter into individual agreements with him to increase security controls on trucks crossing the border. He held a press conference Wednesday with the governor of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and said they had scrapped such an agreement, promising to lift the burdensome additional inspections in one area. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Mexico ban on avocados can cause bruises, as long as it continues Many are not optimistic about what will follow. “Yesterday’s circus with Governor Abbott was just that: the whole show,” said Matt Mandel, vice president of finance at Sun Fed, a grower-exporter of mainly fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico. “The protests on the bridges are over and the traffic has started to flow again, albeit very slowly. “It remains to be seen whether the ongoing inspections create another scenario where truckers refuse to work again.” A statement from several Mexican government agencies, including the Coordinating Council of Business and the Confederate Chambers of Commerce of Mexico, puts the loss at $ 8 million a day. The losses associated with the remaining loggams in the ports depend on whether Abbott enters into agreements with other Mexican governors today, said Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. The state of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico is key, he said, because most of the products cross the Rio Grande there through the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Texas. US imports little from Ukraine and Russia, but food and agriculture costs expected to rise Jungmeyer said that since the opening of the operation in the ports of entry of Texas on Thursday, things were still looking bad and that there were reports of “very slow traffic”. “I hear that the Texas Department of Public Safety is continuing with intensive inspections outside all ports of entry except what was announced yesterday,” he said. “Governor Tamaulipas wants to meet with Governor Abbott today.” If meetings cannot be arranged today, Jungmeyer said, at least Abbott should give a “grace period” and stop inspections for other ports until he has a chance to meet.
