Even a fractional increase in transportation expenses, as small as one cent, could render US agricultural exports uncompetitive in the global marketplace, according to warnings from industry shippers. These concerns arise amidst ongoing US policy discussions that target Chinese-built vessels and aim to revitalize the domestic shipbuilding industry.

During a presentation at TPM in Long Beach, Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), highlighted that policymakers frequently underestimate the sensitivity of commodity exporters to even the slightest escalations in logistics costs.

Illustrating his point with pistachios, Mr. Friedmann noted that the current global market price is approximately $1.17 per pound, leaving little room for additional expenses for exporters. The post Shippers warn even tiny freight rises could price US ag exports out of global markets appeared first on The Loadstar.