NOGALES, AZ – The Governing Board of the Nogales Port Authority has reported substantial increases in traffic and overall commercial value of trade through the Port of Mariposa.
Bruce Bracker, Chairman of the Board of the Nogales Port Authority says that the dollar value of trade through the port is estimated at $20-$25 billion for 2011 and $30-$35 billion in 2014, according to a press release. This represents an increase of 50-75% in value.
"The growth in the dollar value of trade can be attributed to the continued increase in trade in high-value goods through the border in sectors such as aerospace, the automotive industry, and mining," said Hector Suarez, President of the Nogales Association of Customs Brokers.
American Customs reports show that the truck traffic volume has also increased. The volume of commercial traffic grew about 13% over a five year period, from 276,8777 trucks in 2009 to 311,669 trucks in 2013.
"In the next 10 years, the expansion of the international port will continue to contribute to the tremendous growth of our community," said Nils Urman, representing the Office of Community Development of Nogales. Urman is also a board member for Nogales Economic Development and Tourism and board member of the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Foundation for Economic Development, according to a press release.
"The increase in personnel at the port, together with the Mexican infrastructure investment will complement the investment made by the United States in our port and accelerate trade. Trading opportunities are both north and south, and we continue to see increases in export trade to Mexico," Urman added.
The state of Arizona is also maximizing on the importance of growth trends at the port by investing in the Road Map of Border Communities project, whose mission is to identify, prioritize, and advance policy and strategic action resulting in a roadmap for developing a thriving Arizona border region. For more information on that project, click here.
"We in the economic development of the community of Santa Cruz County, Arizona support the state's commitment to this process. We are encouraged by the project roadmap, which recognizes the importance of trade between the United States and Mexico in border communities, where Nogales is 85% of trade between Arizona and Mexico, or the equivalent of $42 billion of trade in the state during 2013," Urman said.
With yearly trade increases becoming the trend, the Mariposa Port will definitely be one to keep an eye on.
