The US county of Santa Cruz and Gran Nogales proposed improved infrastructure to reduce the loss of perishable goods in trade between Mexico and the United States.
The Port Authority of Santa Cruz County and Greater Nogales recommended the creation of a trade facilitation annex to improve coordination on inspections and other forms of regulatory cooperation, with the aim of reducing the loss of perishable goods, such as fresh produce.
Loss of perishable goods
Josh Rubin, president of the Port of Santa Cruz County and Greater Nogales, made this request while participating in hearings on the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the end of 2025.
Rubin warned that many ports of entry are outdated. In addition, they require significant investment. While new facilities are already being built, such as in Douglas and San Luis, Arizona, improvements on the Mexican side are still pending.
He therefore stressed the need to create a binational infrastructure coordination mechanism. This would allow investments to move forward in a synchronized and efficient manner.
In this context, he recalled that Nogales is one of the main entry points for fresh agricultural products. Each year, nearly 7 billion pounds of produce from Mexico enter through this crossing. He therefore encouraged the creation of an annex on trade facilitation for perishable goods within the USMCA.
Border infrastructure
In Rubin’s opinion, this framework would reduce inspection delays. It would also expand cold storage capacity and improve coordination on food safety. At the same time, it would adjust operating hours to better align them with industry needs, especially for perishable products.
The impact is clear. Every hour of delay reduces the shelf life of goods and increases losses. Therefore, he suggested that pilot programs for fast lanes for perishable goods could be based on proven models, such as the C-TPAT program for trusted carriers.
Beyond physical infrastructure, Rubin stressed the urgency of modernizing the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system. He noted that the system is often overloaded and obsolete. As a result, delays caused by technological failures are unacceptable in a just-in-time supply chain system.
In this context, he also supported the creation of a USMCA border infrastructure fund. Alternatively, he proposed a binational investment framework focused on port modernization. This would include inspection technologies, artificial intelligence tools, truck waiting areas, and cold chain protection systems.
Electricity
The recent reappearance of the New World corn borer in southern Mexico, he added, highlighted how regional problems can affect entire supply chains. He therefore encouraged the creation of regionalized animal health zones. The aim would be to recognize disease-free regions and ensure continuity of trade when appropriate protocols are followed.
Finally, Rubin emphasized that strengthening cross-border electrical infrastructure is essential. Communities such as Nogales, he explained, are located at the end of a fragile electrical grid. At that point, any interruption can completely paralyze trade. Thus, investment in generation, transmission, and redundancy systems would ensure reliability for both trade and national security.