Caribbean suppliers rebound from hurricanes

For those outside of Florida, especially suppliers in the Caribbean, there was a great deal of damage from hurricanes the last two years.

“Although a large segment of our customer base was hit, and their infrastructure devastated, in general, I can’t complain where we are one year out,” says Doug Tannehill, president of exporter Global Perishable Services LLP, Miami.

Work clearing the ports, dredging any vessels that sunk, and getting cargo off ships brought movement in the Caribbean to a snail’s pace.

Tannehill notes several island ports did sustain significant damage.

A year later, progress has been made. “Salvage operations are completed,” Tannehill says, but cleanup and rebuilding continues.

Due to the storms’ northerly paths, demand shifted to the southern parts of the Caribbean, with Aruba, St. Lucia, and Barbados supplementing shipments since much of the region’s citrus and tuber crops were destroyed.

Despite the hurdles, Tannehill is optimistic about 2019.

“The Caribbean will continue to rebound even after devastation,” he says. “They’re very resilient people.”

This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.