By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTAs Puerto Rico goes through an economic downturn, the mix of produce being shipped to the island commonwealth is changing, but today’s shifts are relatively minor compared with the sea change of a half-century ago, according to the man who oversees Puerto Rico operations for Sea Star Line LLC. John C. Emery Jr., Sea Star’s San Juan-based vice president and general manager of Puerto Rico, said current trends include shipments of less salad ingredients and fewer fancy fruits from the US mainland. Meanwhile, opportunities abound for northbound moves of produce grown on the island. The very notion of shipping agricultural products from Puerto Rico to the mainland is reminiscent of the market of the mid-20th century, before Operation Bootstrap set in motion a major shift of Puerto Rico from an agrarian economy to one based upon incentive-based industrialization. In those pre-industrialization days, of course, modern ocean transportation for perishables was not available, so the vast majority of fruits and vegetables grown on the island stayed there to feed local residents. Now, state-of-the-industry technology and speedy ships, such as those owned by Sea Star, afford ample opportunities for island-grown produce to be shipped from the island to the mainland. “There clearly is potential to do more,” Emery said, referring to prospects for additional northbound moves of perishables from the island. The overall ocean trade between the US mainland and Puerto Rico is heavily skewed toward southbound activity, and the refrigerated cargo trade is even more unbalanced, he noted. Emery estimated that southbound cargo as a whole outnumbers that heading north from the island by a ratio of four to one, while the ratio for refrigerated goods is closer to 30 to one. Because of this imbalance, overall northbound ocean freight rates are only about half of those charged for southbound moves in the lane. Currently, commercial farming in Puerto Rico is limited. One enterprise produces tomatoes on the South end of the island during the January-to-March lull in the US mainland season for farm-grown versions of that vegetable-like fruit. Much of that production goes into the local market, but an increasing volume is heading to the mainland, predominantly for use in restaurants. Emery said this represents about 500 to 600 forty-foot containerloads a year, shared by Sea Star and competitor Horizon Lines Inc., which, like Sea Star, operates self-propelled vessels between San Juan and Jacksonville, FL. Puerto Rico also has a melon season, running from March to August, which yields similar annual volumes for the two carriers, according to Emery. And the same grower recently has begun adding mangoes to the mix. However, the ability of Puerto Rican commercial farming to grow substantially may be limited by a shortage of low-cost labor. Emery pointed out that island residents are more apt to opt for higher-paying jobs at pharmaceutical plants or other industrial facilities rather than accept minimum wage to pick produce. Furthermore, from a competitive labor standpoint, minimum wage is far more than Mexican workers make on farms in such states as California and Florida. The fact remains that, in the early 1950s, Puerto Rico grew 95% of the produce it consumed. Now, Emery noted, 95% of everything people in Puerto Rico eat comes from outside the island. 52-hour transit timeWhether produce in the Puerto Rico trade is going northbound or is part of the dominant southbound leg, it can now enjoy cool, quick carriage, especially when moved on self-propelled vessels. The 52-hour transit time for ships between Jacksonville and San Juan provides for plenty of shelf life after the goods have arrived. Meanwhile, barge operators in the trade – Crowley Liner Services Inc. and Trailer Bridge Inc. – share in the produce business by moving some hearty fruit varieties, such as apples and pears, as well as potatoes. “If you load fresh produce off a truck in Jacksonvill