What matters most to shippers when they choose an ocean carrier? By Bill Armbruster Below is a list of 10 criteria, in no particular order, that may affect a shipper’s choice of ocean carrier. I would like to know which you think are most important. So, please,...
Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere
South America starts shipping grapes to the winter-bound north The season has just begun, but forecasters are projecting a bumper crop of fruit exports from South America, led by grapes. Grapes are the second-ranked (by value) fruit import in the U.S. (Bananas top the...
ITA for the Chopping Block?
Billing beneficiaries for trade promotion could save $1.6 billion through 2014 Charge the beneficiaries for the cost of the International Trade Administration’s trade promotion activities -- that’s Number 36 in the list of ideas for government cost-cutting from the...
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Your eco-friendly, reusable shopping bag may be loaded with lead Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) yesterday called on federal agencies to police reusable shopping bags that contain unacceptably high levels of lead, getting out ahead of a story that’s been developing for...
Mining for Trade Answers
Miami Herald finds Datamyne delivers on toughest questions “It is really hard to find good sources of information on companies by product,” Charlotte Gallogly, president of World Trade Center Miami, tells The Miami Herald. What companies want, for example, “are the...
Americas Forum Convenes
Cross-border conference aims to boost the hemisphere’s competitiveness Representatives of 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere (including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke) gather in Atlanta November 14 through 16 for the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF)...
A Cassava by Any Other Name
Yuca, manioc, tapioca … it’s still one versatile tuber Cassava (manihot esculenta) is getting a lot of attention as a pro-poor biofuel that could be a comer in the international ethanol market. But the tropical plant’s starchy root has myriad uses and figures...
Pro-Poor Biofuel
Side-stepping the food-or-fuel choice by cultivating cassava It seemed like a good idea at the time: Reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and start weaning the gasoline-dependent by phasing in (with a mix of subsidies and mandates) the use of ethanol as motor fuel. The...
Free Report: Bamboo Flooring
Top sources, consignees, carriers, ports for U.S. imports of the product from China Last week, we wrote about how it can take time for the Harmonized System of tariff codes to catch up with new-to-market products – our case in point: bamboo flooring, which was...
10 Most Common Misconceptions in International Trade
People who import-export say the most surprising things By Peter Quinter, guest columnist I have been an international trade attorney for over 20 years. In that time, I have represented a few thousand companies involved in the importation, exportation, and...