The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Port of Houston will work together to increase capacity for exporting chilled and frozen agricultural commodities, and help improve service for shippers of U.S. grown agricultural commodities.
The partners will enable the port to fully utilize its capacity for refrigerated shipping containers by leasing additional chassis, which are used to position and store containers while waiting for vessels to arrive.
“American farmers and ranchers depend on a reliable and efficient transportation system to move their products to market,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s creative approaches to improve port operation, we are collaborating with partners in the supply chain to adapt and overcome challenges facing agriculture. USDA is pleased to announce the partnership with the Port of Houston and the expanded collaboration with NWSA (Northwest Seaport Alliance) to further ease port congestion. Through these investments, we continue to deliver on our promise to bolster the supply chain and support American-grown food and fiber.”
The USDA expanded its existing partnership with the NWSA to increase access to a 16-acre site in Tacoma to accept containers for temporary storage.
The Port of Houston handles more than two-thirds of the Gulf of Mexico’s container cargo.