Mexico                                   

Mexico                                                                                         

Mother’s Day Promotion Ends In Festive Mood

USMEF-Mexico’s Mother’s Day promotion ended yesterday (May 1) with 3,323 Mexican mothers, husbands and children packing the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City. USMEF-Mexico staff thanked them for choosing U.S. red meat as a healthy source of protein for their families’ diet. USMEF Director, Mexico Gilberto Lozano and Retail Manager Gustavo Castaño opened the event with a 40-minute presentation on diet, nutrition and the benefits of eating red meat, an opportunity to reiterate USMEF-Mexico’s key messages: nutrition, taste and versatility. Then the entertainment began with the by-now famous Cookin’ show to an enthusiastic reception. The audience marveled at the dexterity of the chefs in handling pots, pans, knifes and all sorts of cooking utensils with exact precision. A raffle followed and many moms went home with home improvement gifts. As a grand finale, USMEF-Mexico sang Las Mañanitas, a Mexican melody sung at special occasions. The USMEF-Mexico Mother’s Day promotion is now an eagerly awaited tradition for many mothers. Gigante’s Operations Manager, Mr. Jose Alverde, and Comercial Mexicana’s Mr. Jorge O’Cadiz, Perishables Director and Mr. Antonio Garatea, Commercial Director, joined the families and USMEF-Mexico to show their support for this great event.

Industry News                                                                           

Agriculture Ocean Transportation Coalition Update

“Each day brings another example of the deterioration of the transportation/logistics infrastructure and service upon which U.S. agriculture depends in order to remain competitive in the world marketplace,” according to the Agriculture Ocean Transportation Coalition (AgOTC).

“The issue these days is not so much the ocean carrier rates,” the AgOTC says in a message to members, “but the increasing congestion, costs, inefficient marine terminals, delays, shortages of truck and rail service, mandated surcharges,   and on and on. These are definitely having an impact on the ability of U.S. agriculture to be dependable and cost competitive supplier to foreign buyers. 

“Each day, we hear from another agriculture exporter about the latest suspension of rail service, the lack of trucking service, the additional surcharges, the delays in gaining carrier service, the inability of the U.S. Government to supply electronic phytosanitary certificates, demurrage and detention charges, security and phytosanitary inspections and so on. 

“If we cannot get our products from the field, the packing houses, processing plants, warehouses, by truck or by rail to the ports, onto the ships, while satisfying phytosanitary and documentation requirements, then our export volumes and values will fall -- injuring the entire U.S. economy.   The gravity of this situation demands attention by Congress and the highest levels of the government. 

“Towards this end, the AgOTC is developing a White Paper, tentatively to be titled “The Threat to U.S. Agriculture Global Competitiveness - Our Transportation Infrastructure in Crisis”.   This White Paper will be a catalog of examples of the deterioration of U.S. transport and handling infrastructure and services, so that the government and the private sector can develop solutions.   

This is an invitation for you to supply examples of the deteriorated supply chain which is undermining the ability to deliver ag products to markets.  Examples can be either specific or general, covering all the transportation modes.”

Mexico                                                                                         

Mother’s Day Promotion Ends In Festive Mood

USMEF-Mexico’s Mother’s Day promotion ended yesterday (May 1) with 3,323 Mexican mothers, husbands and children packing the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City. USMEF-Mexico staff thanked them for choosing U.S. red meat as a healthy source of protein for their families’ diet. USMEF Director, Mexico Gilberto Lozano and Retail Manager Gustavo Castaño opened the event with a 40-minute presentation on diet, nutrition and the benefits of eating red meat, an opportunity to reiterate USMEF-Mexico’s key messages: nutrition, taste and versatility. Then the entertainment began with the by-now famous Cookin’ show to an enthusiastic reception. The audience marveled at the dexterity of the chefs in handling pots, pans, knifes and all sorts of cooking utensils with exact precision. A raffle followed and many moms went home with home improvement gifts. As a grand finale, USMEF-Mexico sang Las Mañanitas, a Mexican melody sung at special occasions. The USMEF-Mexico Mother’s Day promotion is now an eagerly awaited tradition for many mothers. Gigante’s Operations Manager, Mr. Jose Alverde, and Comercial Mexicana’s Mr. Jorge O’Cadiz, Perishables Director and Mr. Antonio Garatea, Commercial Director, joined the families and USMEF-Mexico to show their support for this great event.

Industry News                                                                           

Agriculture Ocean Transportation Coalition Update

“Each day brings another example of the deterioration of the transportation/logistics infrastructure and service upon which U.S. agriculture depends in order to remain competitive in the world marketplace,” according to the Agriculture Ocean Transportation Coalition (AgOTC).

“The issue these days is not so much the ocean carrier rates,” the AgOTC says in a message to members, “but the increasing congestion, costs, inefficient marine terminals, delays, shortages of truck and rail service, mandated surcharges,   and on and on. These are definitely having an impact on the ability of U.S. agriculture to be dependable and cost competitive supplier to foreign buyers. 

“Each day, we hear from another agriculture exporter about the latest suspension of rail service, the lack of trucking service, the additional surcharges, the delays in gaining carrier service, the inability of the U.S. Government to supply electronic phytosanitary certificates, demurrage and detention charges, security and phytosanitary inspections and so on. 

“If we cannot get our products from the field, the packing houses, processing plants, warehouses, by truck or by rail to the ports, onto the ships, while satisfying phytosanitary and documentation requirements, then our export volumes and values will fall -- injuring the entire U.S. economy.   The gravity of this situation demands attention by Congress and the highest levels of the government. 

“Towards this end, the AgOTC is developing a White Paper, tentatively to be titled “The Threat to U.S. Agriculture Global Competitiveness - Our Transportation Infrastructure in Crisis”.   This White Paper will be a catalog of examples of the deterioration of U.S. transport and handling infrastructure and services, so that the government and the private sector can develop solutions.   

This is an invitation for you to supply examples of the deteriorated supply chain which is undermining the ability to deliver ag products to markets.  Examples can be either specific or general, covering all the transportation modes.”