Border Crossings Volume Increases

NOGALES, SONORA, MX – After a drop of more than 70% in border crossings of commercial trucks, this week customs authorities registered a strong recovery in border crossing volume.

Juan Gim Nogales, administrator of Nogales, Mexico Port of Entry, stated that on Monday, a total of 1,500 trucks with merchandise for export to the US crossed the border to the North.

He estimated that 90% of the shipments that went through the Mariposa Port of Entry produce such as vegetables and fruits, among other food products produced in southern states like Sinaloa.

He added that only an estimated 10% were assembly products of the maquiladora export plants.

Imports to Mexico also documented an strong increase; just two weeks ago Mexican customs documented around 47 trucks entering Mexico, but, on Monday they processed around 300 shipments.

Two weeks ago there was a sharp drop in commercial crossings to the United States. Some days documented about 300 trucks with merchandise for export and about 50 trucks with merchandise for import.

But this week the season seems to be stabilizing. Mexican customs are documenting more than a thousand trucks with merchandise for export to the United States and around 300 with imports.

On a regular day, the daily average quantity of imports is around 600 trucks a day. This means that even though the amount of imports is increasing, the volume of border crossings is still low.

Industry

The Nogales sector of manufacturing for export is passing through a difficult period. This is due to the closure of a large number of manufacturing plants that have been considered by government as non-essential.

According to estimates by Index Nogales, around 30,000 industrial workers have been sent home due to the total or partial closings of the industries where they work.

Maquiladora plants that still in operation because they produce items classified as essential, employ about 15,000 workers.

Of the 116 maquiladora plants in Nogales, Mexico, around 30 have closed completely. The rest have experienced partial closings, leaving only divisions and production lines that manufacture essential products.