Mexican exporters to military: Get out of the way

Mexican exporters are voicing concern that government checkpoints are compromising their shipments of fresh produce from Sinaloa. Here is a Dec. 7 USDA FAS attache report from Mexico City. The report summarizes/translates news stories published in Mexico.

From the report:


According to Mexican exporters, the lack of training or established guidelines for inspections at military checkpoints on Mexican highways is generating losses of more than U.S. $50 million. Trucks sending produce from the state of Sinaloa have to go through three military checkpoints before they reach the border. At one checkpoint near Culiacan, produce has been stuck for more than 16 hours in the open, which seriously affects cold chain preservation. As a solution, exporters are willing to pay fees in order to have more professional, product-friendly inspection points. (Source: Excelsior, 12/03/2007)