b'2American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comMexican fresh export successTEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED reflects global industrySkyrocketing North American fruit and vegetableLOGISTICS TRI-ANNUALimports are coming from many sources.By Tad Thompson, AJOTSkyrocketing North Ameri- Wine and beer ($4.0 billion) can fruit and vegetable importsand snack foods ($2.3 billion) are coming from many sources.came in third and fourth. Pro-Mexican imports are thecessedfruitandvegetables poster child for the category.came in with a hefty value of Land ports make Mexico an$1.8 billion. unsurprising source for beingTridge.com indicates that theprimarysourceofthoseMexicantomatoexportsto imports.the U.S. valued $2.48 billion Well beyond this obviousin 2021. fact, the United States south- USDAs analysis of domes-ern border is the gateway totic census and trade data shows a land that is ideal in manyMexicanandCanadianpro-waysforprovidingfreshducershavedominatedthe fruits and vegetables. U.S. import market by offer-Providingasolidper- ingprotectedcultureor spectiveonsuchthingsisgreenhouseimportsaswellLeading Mexican grape producers, such as Grupo Molina, based in Hermosillo, Sonora, are using shade covers to maximize production of their proprietary grape varieties. The staggering production costs for Mexican grapes include drip irrigation, targeting Dante Galeazzi.(SUCCESScontinued onindividual vines, and hand labor which touches every bunch, even before harvest. The rights to drill one water well in the Sonoran Galeazziisaverylike- page 4) desert costs over one million dollars. These rights have to be regularly renewed.Photo courtesy of Fresh Farms, Nogalesable,bright,articulateand dynamicyoungman,who ispresidentandCEOofthe Texas International Fresh Pro-duce Association. Thegroup usestheacronymTIPAand is headquartered not so many milesfromtheRioGrande River in a blonde brick build-ing in Mission, TX. TIPAsroleistoserve theinterestsofTexasfruit and vegetable growers. TIPA alsorepresentsTexasbusi-nesses who handle imported freshMexicanproduce.As topotentialthreadsofcon-flictingintereststherein, Texans live the pro-business savvy favoring the proverbial rising tide. GaleazzisaysMexi-canimportshaveincreased becauseofaccesstoalong list of Mexican resources that are not so available for pro-ducers in the U.S.M exicanV egetablesi Mportss et thet ableA November 2021 USDA reportindicatesthat2020, Mexico accounted for a healthy 77%ofU.S.freshvegetable import volume. (Canada, a dis-tantnumbertwo,represented 11% market share.)The USDA explains import demand: U.S. consumers have pushed for greater consistency insupermarketproduceand expandeddemandforyear-roundavailabilityofvirtually allfreshvegetables.Between 1998and2020,thevolume offreshvegetableimports increasednearly200percent, and the value of fresh vegetable importsgrewtoexceedfresh exportsby$7.6billion,more than double the same figure a decade earlier. USDAfiguresfor2019 showedU.S.totalimports of agricultural products from Mexicototaled$28billion, makingMexicothelargest suchsupplier.Leadingcat-egoriesincludeotherfresh fruit ($6.9 billion) and fresh vegetables($6.3billion).'