Export losses mount By Balford Henry and Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporters AIRLIFTING OF local agricultural produce to North America resumed yesterday, amidst general uncertainty as to when normality will return to the activity. Even so, exporters of perishable goods are already reeling from the economic fall-out resulting from last Tuesday's terrorist attack on the United States. Cargo supervisor at the Norman Manley International Airport, Easton Brown, said Air Jamaica got clearance to resume cargo flights to Miami yesterday morning. Full clearance to US airports came later in the day and exports to other major cities, including New York, should begin today. Air Canada's cargo agent Ancha Dyer says that the airline will resume its cargo airlift today. In the meantime, local agricultural producers continue to bear the brunt of the losses being sustained by exporters. Their perishable items have been stranded for at least a week in warehouses, because of the shutdown of US airports last week. But, while there is some reprieve for exporters to the US, those to Britain may be in for more problems. Not only have new security measures introduced at London's main airports slowed up the process, but there could be an additional cost, as well. There is a proposal to charge exporters about five pence per kilo for the x-ray processing of their cargoes bound for London for transhipment to other ports necessary under newly introduced security requirements. There are even more problems for exporters using British Airways. The airline's communications spokesperson for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jennifer Hudson, said yesterday that BA would not resume cargo airlifts until it was satisfied that the safety requirements imposed since last week by the UK's regulatory authority can be fully met. Exporting company Marketing Development Limited, Spanish Town Road, Kingston, has not been able to ship any produce since last week Monday. Audrey Barrett said that the company was forced to release some goods over the week-end to charity to save them from spoilage. She said that if the situation continues, the company's 18 employees might also be affected. The company exports produce like dasheen and yams, which is normally bought on a Monday on exported on Tuesday. Most airlines are giving preference to more perishable items like fish and fruits during the current crisis. Others, like Canco Limited which exports items like ackees and callaloo to North America, have not been as seriously affected as they export produce by sea. But, the company's managing director, Dorothy Ramsay, confirmed yesterday that a container shipped two weeks ago is still being held up at the port, approximately four days after it was expected to be cleared, because of increased security measures. Up to yesterday, exporters had lost between US$400,000 and US$450,000 with indications that those figures will climb, according to Beverly Lopez, President of the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA). "That is, opportunities lost during the period when we had no airlifts," she told The Gleaner yesterday. Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke yesterday said he would seek to maintain the pre-clearance facility that is in place with the US Department of Agriculture. "I think we will have to sort of insist and work with them to ensure that that sort of arrangement continues," he said. He was speaking at a press conference at the Old Hope Road headquarters of the People's National Party. According to Mrs Lopez, exporters will not be able to recoup their losses. "That's just the cost of doing business. Produce is prepared for shipment via air freight (but) you can't stop the produce from ripening," the JEA boss noted. She said producers of papayas and avocadoes were hardest hit. The JEA is in the process of meeting with exporters to let them know that it is not business as usual. "We must recognise that tighter border controls could result in 100 per cent inspection of produce. Whether they are ready for this inspection we don't know. It will take some time and exporters will just have to adjust to that fact," Mrs Lopez asserted. She noted that the recovery of the sector was dependent on how soon the situation returns to normal. According to Mrs Lopez, the problem being faced by exporters is compounded by the fact that the local tourism industry was not doing well. She explained that the JEA would have "looked in that direction for some take off of our produce but they themselves are having their own set of problems. "It's just a difficult time for us," she said.
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