Produce shippers need better visibility and metrics to ward off costly delays

Faced with existential cost challenges, perishables shippers have welcomed the initiative of the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce (GCFP) to improve logistics flows through a charter of best practices – but some industry executives want better metrics to track carrier performance in order to make significant headway.

The GCFP’s latest survey, published last week, shows an industry in distress; where many operators are struggling with rising costs – from fuel and shipping over fertiliser to plant protection products and packaging, with 85% reporting higher costs in each of these categories.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents saw costs rise 10% or more, and one in seven reported increases in excess of 50%. Most struggle to pass the higher costs on to customers, and almost two-thirds consider their medium-term economic sustainability threatened.

At the Fruit Attraction event in Madrid this month, the GCFP unveiled its charter of best practices, which aims for a collaborative approach by all participants in produce supply chains. ( See Produce shippers prepare best practice charter for transport – The Loadstar)

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