The Road to Nogales

With its rolling hills, 4,000-foot elevation, and population of just under 21,000, the city of Nogales, AZ in Santa Cruz County has a small-town feel that belies its enormous role in the U.S. and Mexican fresh produce industries.

The Mariposa Port of Entry
The Mariposa Port is the major gateway for over 300,000 northbound trucks from Mexico each year. Out of this amazing total, 120,000 carry $2.7 billion worth of fruits and vegetables shipped annually from Mexico’s fertile growing states (dominated by Sonora and Sinaloa) to both U.S. and Canadian markets.

According to a recent University of Arizona study on the economy of Nogales, the county seat of Santa Cruz County, the business of shipping and distributing produce accounts for 33.5 percent of the county’s output. And although Santa Cruz County has been around since 1899 and is home to about 47,000 residents, this 1,238-mile tract of land in southern Arizona is pivotal to the nation’s fresh fruit and vegetable trade.

At the heart of the region’s future is the expanded land port. Until its reopening in late 2014, the Mariposa entry had been cobbled together over time, resulting in chronic delays and congestion.

A Way Forward
As a ‘shovel ready’ project, the new port was funded and construction began in 2009 towards the end of the recession as part of President Obama’s stimulus package. After a five-year $244 million expansion, the port is contributing to the Nogales economy and benefitting the produce industry on both sides of the border.

Nogales has been an important border crossing for produce for over 100 years. The renovated Mariposa Land Port is the largest in Arizona and fourth busiest port of entry in the United States. Nearly a third of all Mexican-grown produce and 60 to 70 percent of the winter-harvested fruits and vegetables pass though Nogales to wholesalers, retailers, and ultimately consumers throughout the region.

The ever-increasing business of importing produce into the United States includes far more than trucks filled with pallets of fruits and vegetables. There are customs services, warehousing and cold storage, repacking, shipping and distribution, and sales brokering and freight forwarding personnel located close to the port in Rio Rico and Nogales.

These pursuits along with associated activities such as sales of fuel, border protection, and the operational expenses for many federal employees generates about $303.4 million annually for Santa Cruz County.

Capacity & Staffing Issues
Now that the Mariposa Port has been fully operational for over a year, it has received predominantly rave reviews with a few caveats.