Over 3,500 tons of fresh lemons from Argentina arrived in the Port of Philadelphia for the first time recently after an agreement was made between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and The National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (Senasa).
Representatives from Holt Logistics Corp. marked the occasion with a brief dockside reception alongside trade representatives and other business leaders from both countries.
Holt Logistics reported the historic arrival of fresh lemons from Argentina brings yet another high-quality source product through the Port of Philadelphia.
The arrival represented years of negotiations between commercial and safety interests surrounding the import of fresh goods into the United States.
The M/V Baltic Erica departed from the Euroamérica port complex near Buenos Aires on Friday, July 9, bound for the United States, arriving July 22. The vessel discharged at Gloucester Terminals in Gloucester City, New Jersey carrying 3,273 pallets containing a total of more than 3,700 tons of lemons.
The shipment of fresh lemons to the United States is unprecedented and novel for the country, since the merchandise is sent directly in a hold ship to the port of Philadelphia.
The pallets of lemons from Argentina are the first ever to enter the United States under a new agreement between the USDA and Senasa.