Farmington Fresh, just 6.5 miles north of Manteca’s city limits, sits adjacent to a Stockton Metro Airport runway along Highway 99.
It’s the only fruit packing and distribution plant adjacent to an airport in the nation.
On Tuesday, the San Joaquin County Board of Superiors will decide if the time is ripe to tap into the international fresh produce and fruit market by developing a game plan to make Stockton Metro Airport an air cargo perishable facility for Northern California growers to ship overseas.
A preliminary assessment indicated there is sufficient potential demand to support a more thorough assessment to determine if perishable cargo at the airport would be able ti bolster the regional economy.
One key finding in the preliminary assessment was that most international air cargo operations in the U.S. serve imports, with excess capacity currently available for exports.
Exports from the U.S. can be considered ‘backhaul’ for cargo jets to assure they are carrying as much cargo as possible.
While perishables are not typically a high value commodity that can bear the higher transportation costs of flying, the excess U.S. export air cargo capacity creates a unique opportunity for producers to serve targeted foreign markets with unique perishable products at marginal air transportation costs basically at least cost in order to fill excess capacity on jets leaving the United States.
The perishable market study will also touch on the biomedical market.
The Phase II assessment will focus on regional producer’s logistics needs, the identification of potential private sector partners, including air carriers, freight forwarders, real estate developers, and other stakeholders, and an action plan to develop the new market if it is determined to be operationally and financially feasible.
The initial Cargo Perishable Facility Preliminary Assessment cost $35,000.
The Phase II will cost $160,000 resulting in an aggregate total of $195,000 for contracted services with Logistics Capital & Strategy, LLC.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
