NAMDEVCO packinghouse facility

At the NAMDEVCO Packinghouse Facility any exporter can receive, temporarily store, process, package, and ship produce bought from certified farms. By using this facility, the exporter can ensure that its products are in compliance with various requirements from importers abroad, such as food safety, environmental and fair trade practices and other critical requirements to access foreign markets.

NAMDEVCO Packinghouse Facility is available for Trinidadian and Tobagoan exporters who wish to fill container loads of produce for ocean-freight can access a power supply and adequate turn-around space for their articulated vehicles. Its storage capacity includes:

• Three chilled compartments, which can accommodate approximately sixty tonnes of product at any time, 
• A frozen compartment, which hold about thirty tonnes of product
• A recently installed Blast Freezer with approximately 1,000 kgs per 12 hr cycle.

The close proximity to the airport and its good road linkage with the major seaports, 30-45 minutes away, makes the location of this facility attractive for exporters in particular.

The cost of providing services would be recovered through a system of fees to be paid by users:

1. A throughput fee based on the volume of product, and the type of product--i.e. lower priced product will attract a lower rate and vice versa
2. Cost of packing material
3. Storage fees for goods held for more than 24 hours

Exporters can benefit in the following ways:

• Presence of plant quarantine inspectors and customs officials on site
• Clean, certifiable environment, which will allow penetration of higher quality markets
• Produce storage facilities will allow better produce quality maintenance
• Direct link to governmental agencies, thereby reducing delays in document processing
• Better protection from variances in shipping schedules
• Greater access to extension and technology advice
• Better security for produce delivery and export dispatching
• Better marketing opportunities due to central location

NAMDEVCO constantly carries out training programmes for all users of the packinghouse facilities on post harvest handling, product display and food safety in order to improve the quality of agricultural products that leave the country via the export trade.

For more information on NAMDEVCO´s Piarco Packinghouse please click here.