No significant disruptions of agricultural commodities to Houston's main shipping ports are anticipated after Hurricane Harvey, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service said Friday.
Luis Ribera, director of the Center for North American Studies at Texas A&M University in College Station, said Texas' agricultural commodities should not have any long-term marketing effects.
"There's a Del Monte facility in Galveston (one of four facilities in the U.S.) that receives bananas, pineapples and melons from Central and South America on the import side that might be affected. We will just have to see how this plays out."
Meanwhile, grocery outlets throughout Southeast Texas are working to get shelves restocked and provide items of immediate need.
"The major grocery chains have plans in place and are very responsive to situations such as hurricanes and other natural disasters," he said. "I know that these grocery companies have a very good distribution system and suppliers that can fulfill shipments within three to four days in most cases.
"One thing that they may do also is reduce their inventory in other locations and send them to the locations that need the items. The main issues there are accessibility, how they can get there, and also electricity. Do they have it to run the stores?"
Source: news-journal.com