b'18American Journal of Transportation ajot.comWorld is facing a coffee deficit(RESILIENTcontinued fromwarehouses, exporters could delay ship-page 17) mentsifnecessary,withoutdamaging grapes,dominates.Approximatelythe goods. Even those already packed in supply chain nightmare 86%ofEUpineappleimportsareinto reefer containers were stored safely sourced from Costa Rica, for exam- either at the port in Valparaso or at pro-CoffeesuppliesintheU.S.aresels are temporarily unavailable forple,andsome70%ofEUbananacessing centers.shrinkingandwholesalepricesarepurchaseorlease,increasingcon- imports from Ecuador, Colombia and surging,withthehard-hitmarketgestion and bringing delays at ports.Costa Rica combined. covid S PuRSn eWi nitiativeSbracingforfurtherfalloutfromaThe company has tried to purchaseLatin America has developed intoCovid has also spurred new initia-global shortage of shipping containersor rent all available containers, andtheworldsfruitbowl,growingandtives. We have to have active minds, thats upended the food trade. is keeping aging units in operation.exportingbothtropicalandtemper- said Luis Oscar Muoz, the president CoffeestockpileshavesunktoIts also repairing ones that it usuallyatevarieties.Withgrowingseasonsof the Costa Rican fruit exporting com-a six-year low in the U.S. even withwouldnt at higher costs, Maersk saidthat often counter those in the North- panyTropiExports.Everyoneneeds Brazilsrecordcrop,andalargein an e-mailed response to questionsern Hemisphere, they insure year-roundto help here and we want to be part of drop in output after a drought in thefrom Bloomberg. supply. In terms of fruit exports, Chilethe solution, not part of the problem. South American country is expectedThisisatemporarysituation,leadsthepackoutsideMexico,withWe try to find markets for good pro-to shift the world balance to a defi- bothintermsofpurchasingpatternsannual revenues now at about $7 bil- duction, for quality.cit in coming months just as demandand availability of vessels, the com- lion. Fresh fruit ranks as Chiles secondMuoz cited two new ventures. His rebounds.Everybodyisfeelingthepany said. We expect things to returnlargest export category, as it does in Perucompany is negotiating to export Peru-pinch,saidChristianWolthers,theto normal during the first half of 2021. and Costa Rica. vian avocado pulp to China. And, hes presidentofWolthersDouque,anFornow,manymerchantsareDestinations are increasingly diver- helping a partner in Costa Rica with importer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,trying to hold the line on price increasessified, and span the globe from the US tonew technology that, he says, enables whoestimatesthatshippingcostsas they work to lure customers back toEurope to China. Exporters respondedfruittobefrozenwithoutlosingthe havemorethandoubledfromLatincafes and restaurants. Theres steadytoCOVID-relateduncertaintieswithtaste and integrity that is the curse of America. These bottlenecks are turn- growth in coffee, though the out-of- somequickadjustments,includingfrozen fruit today. When we first met ing into a container nightmare. home segment could take two to threethe temporary diversion of produce inthem, they were only thinking locally. Whilecargo-marketdisruptionsyearstoreturntopre-Covidlevels,transit. While waiting for ports to clearNow, theyre thinking internationally.haveplayedhavoctheglobalfoodaccordingtoDavidRennie,headofor containers to reappear, because they(RESILIENTcontinued on tradegenerally,theproblemsintheNestle SAs coffee brands. couldparkthefruitsincold-storagepage 23)coffeemarketshowfoodinflation already on the rise could be exacer-bated as economies reopen. For now, roasters are able to draw on invento-ries rather than raise prices, but withPort Of Pascagoulastockpiles sliding and a smaller Bra-ziliancropcoming,thestrainsare expected to persist.Arabica-coffeefuturesinNew Yorkhaverisenabout24%sinceOnth e MississippitheendofOctoberfollowingthe damage to Brazilian groves. In Febru-ary, American green, unroasted beanGu lf C oastinventory slid 8.3% from a year ear-lier to the smallest since 2015, indus-try data showed.The lower inventories mean less ofabuffertocushiontheexpected decline in Brazils crop, aggravating market tightness and lending contin-ued support to prices, analysts say.MarexSpectronthismonth increaseditsestimateforaglobal coffee deficit to 10.7 million bags in 2021-22,comparedwithitsprevious projectionof8millionbags,citing lowerBrazilianarabicaoutputafter adverse weather damaged crops. Gold-man Sachs Group Inc. said in a report that if production in Central America doesnt improve in coming years, the marketwillenterastructuraldeficit given the rebound in demand.InthefacilitiesofDinamo,one of Brazils largest coffee warehouses operators, theres a lot of product stuck waitingforcontainers.Inthecom-panysunitinMachadomunicipal-ity,inthecoffeeheartlandofMinas Gerais, beans are awaiting the arrival of18emptycontainers,saidLuiz15 miles to Gulf Shipping LanesAlberto Azevedo Levy Jr., a director at42 ft deep channelsDinamo. These containers will proba-bly take about 15 more days to get here2 Harbors - 10 General Cargo Berthsamid bottlenecks at the port, he said. Covered storage / Open storageThesituation,whichgoteven moredireinMarch,willprobablyServed by CSX and CN railroads reduce the volume of coffee exportedSpecializing in: by Brazil, Levy Jr. said.Logistics have been a headache, Breakbulkdealing with lack of space and contain-ers,saidMarcoFigueiredo,trader Project Cargoesand partner at the Florida-based Ally Bulk CargoesCoffee,aspecialtycoffeemerchant thatimportsbeansfromcountries including Colombia, Guatemala, and Brazil. We are monitoring the situ-ationandtalkingtoclients,making them aware of the rising costs. PortofPascagoula.comDenmarksA.P.Moller-Maersk A/S said containers and charter ves-'