CONTAINERIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Logistics plays a vital role in the growth and success of the agriculture sector. The increased competition among the agricultural producers and suppliers is driving them towards organizational maturity to achieve efficiencies as well as reduce costs. In this process of making the logistics of agriculture effective, there has been a need for innovative new solutions like containerization. In today’s article, we will be discussing the essential things you need to know about the containerization of agricultural products.
Containerization of agricultural products refers to the practice of unitizing several agricultural products inside of a large shipping container and transporting them as a single unit. Reduced shipping costs, greater cargo protection, and less cargo handling are among the benefits of this technique for shippers. For containerization of agricultural products to be successful, the following factors must be met:
- The containers used to transport agricultural perishables must have the ability to maintain the environmental conditions required for the product. Proper temperature control is essential. It is crucial to circulate air through a nonfrozen load to remove the heat of respiration, field heat, and ambient heat that can penetrate the walls. For the products to last longer and to prevent excess moisture from accumulating on them, the humidity must be controlled. With longer journeys, this requirement becomes more important. This is vital when visiting overseas markets.
- A container transporting perishables over long distances must also have an air exchange system. In their natural respiration, fresh fruits and vegetables produce carbon dioxide, ethylene, and other volatile compounds. An excessive amount of these gases may damage the product. For example, carbon dioxide may delay ripening or damage the physiological system. Ethylene can speed up ripening. To prevent adverse effects on the product, the air in the van must be exchanged periodically.
- Adaptable containers are a must. A refrigerator and air distribution system should be able to handle frozen as well as nonfrozen perishables, and they should be light enough to haul dry cargo and have enough cubic space. As a result, the vans will have a higher utilization rate and the cost of capital per unit of cargo will be lower because the vans can perform more work.
- A containerized transport system cannot improve agricultural perishables to the full extent only with proper equipment. An efficient transport system is also crucial. To maximize the return on investment from expensive refrigerated vans, they must keep moving–resulting in lower shipping costs, shorter transit times, and longer shelf life once they arrive at their final destination. Perishables must be moved rapidly through rail yards, truck terminals, and marine piers. Whenever they are destined for overseas markets, they should be transferred to the inland transport mode at the first foreign port of call after finalizing the last domestic port of call.
- To maximize efficiency, the vans need to be kept as loaded as possible in both directions. Beyond having vans for several transport jobs smoothly, marketing and product-flow analyses must be conducted to minimize empty mileage.
TGL is a logistics company that offers high-quality and affordable services to companies across the globe. As a logistics company, our value lies in our flexibility to provide clients with cost-effective solutions to meet their specific needs. At TGL, we recognize that each client has different needs and so our experts are always standing by to help you every step of the way. We handle our client’s freight with total transparency. By offering value-added services at affordable prices, we help them to reduce their costs and improve their profit margins.
At TGL, we understand how significant the export process is and so we ensure your goods are properly marked, labelled, packaged, and documented in a way that suits all the requirements to reach the destination of the goods. We ensure that your goods are in proper shape during the time of transportation by making use of all the necessary preservation and storage method which suits the kind of goods you are exporting. We offer a wide scope of container desiccants that meets the necessities of clients.
Also, there are some certificates like Phyto Sanitary Certificates, Fumigation, Certificate of Origin, etc., that are needed when agricultural products are to be exported. TGL can help with all these documents.
Get in touch with our Experts to discuss your Logistics requirements.
Email: info@tgl.ng