Port of Savannah begins importing Peruvian avocados

The port recently began importing avocados from Mission Produce farms in northwestern Peru, according to a statement from the Georgia Ports Authority.    The Port of Savannah began importing avocados from Mission Produce’s farms in northwestern Peru. 
   Mission Produce, which is dedicated to producing, distributing and marketing fresh Hass avocados, ships avocados to the U.S. from May through September.
   In addition to operations in Peru, the company ships avocados from the U.S., Mexico, Chile and New Zealand.
   “Importing avocados through Savannah was a first for Mission Produce, and for the avocado industry,” Mission Produce Director of Global Logistics and Transportation Jose Maldonado said in a statement. “During the Peruvian season, we brought containers through Savannah to give us quicker access for our customers in the Southeast.”
   “Adding Savannah as an import location to serve the Southeast means fewer road miles, lower transit costs and fresher produce,” GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz said.
   Savannah’s Garden City Terminal features 94 refrigerated container racks and 733 chassis plug-ins, which power 2,989 refrigerated boxes simultaneously. In addition, 10 more racks will be complete by the end of the year, which will add 240 slots for perishable goods.
   In the fiscal year 2015, the Georgia Ports Authority had a refrigerated cargo throughput of nearly 140,000 TEUs and projects a 4.5 percent growth rate of refrigerated cargo in the next year.