agribusiness

Borderlands Mexico: U.S. agricultural imports from Mexico at $8B in 2024

Mexico recorded $9.06 billion in agricultural exports during the first two months of the year, according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and the Bank of Mexico.

The total represents a 9% year-over-year increase from the same period in 2023. The U.S. accounts for almost 90% of Mexico’s export marketplace, importing about $8.1 billion during the first two months of 2024, followed by Canada and China.

Top agricultural and beverage exports from Mexico in January...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/borderlands-mexico-u-s-agricultural-imports-from-mexico-at-8b-in-2024

Feds gives shippers new power to dispute ocean carrier charges

Long Beach Container Terminal

New guidance issued by federal regulators aimed at fighting unreasonable ocean carrier charges is short on detail but long on historic importance, according to a U.S. exporter group.

The advisory enacts provisions of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA), signed into law last month, by providing a simplified process for container carrier customers who want the Federal Maritime Commission to investigate their complaints.

“Today is a landmark moment in the history of the Federal Maritime...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-gives-shippers-new-power-to-dispute-ocean-carrier-charges

CP shuts down rail service amid labor dispute

Canadian Pacific began a “structured shutdown” of its rail service across Canada after a breakdown in talks with the Teamsters union on Saturday led to a work stoppage by 3,000 train engineers, conductors and yard workers.

The union and railroad management blamed each other for causing the shutdown that places more pressure on U.S.-Canadian agriculture markets already straining from pandemic-related issues.

“We are very disappointed with this turn of events,” Dave Fulton, spokesperson for the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cp-shuts-down-rail-service-amid-labor-dispute

Exporters ratchet pressure on Biden to take on shipping challenges

A historic peak shipping season with significant container ship backlogs is being used by a coalition of U.S. agricultural exporters to promote regulatory changes attempting to rein in alleged abuses by container carriers.

In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, 76 groups representing various agricultural export commodities warned that steps taken so far by the Biden administration to address the problem are not enough. They claim that operational tactics that carriers continue to employ...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exporters-ratchet-pressure-on-biden-to-take-on-shipping-challenges

Container lines question claims of unreasonable rates, poor service

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has pushed back against allegations by two Federal Maritime Commissioners (FMC) that the container lines are not meeting service obligations — particularly to U.S. agriculture exporters — citing a lack of evidence.

In a Monday letter to FMC Commissioners Carl Bentzel and Daniel Maffei, WSC President and CEO John Butler pointed out that the customer bases of his members — which account for 90% of global liner vessel capacity — are too varied for the association to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/container-lines-question-claims-of-unreasonable-rates-poor-service