PHARR, Texas - A dry, inland, port is being built in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas, that will improve connectivity between the states’ maritime ports and the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.
Preliminary details about the project were revealed by Sergio Guajardo, assistant secretary of the economy for the State of Tamaulipas, at the latest Trade Talks session hosted by the Pharr Bridge Board. The event was held at the Pharr Development & Research Center.
“It's an inland port that we're constructing right now. It’s going to be located in the central part of the state,” Guajardo said. “It's a big project. It has to do with 1,200 hectares, which is something around 3,000 acres. It is going to facilitate all of the custom operations that run through our state.”
Guajardo said the new port will have a lot of land available for companies to develop on.
“They will have a lot of advantages and a lot of new opportunities, because they're going to have bonded warehouses in which the customs agency is going to operate directly. And they will have a lot of facilities for the payment of their payroll taxes.”
Guajardo described the planned Victoria inland port as a “big, big project.” Earlier in his remarks he had described the expansion of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in a similar way. He said the two projects are connected.
“It is going to join, even more, Pharr with our state, because for a lot of the companies (based in the inland port), the natural entry to the United States is going to be Pharr,” Guajardo said.
“So, we’re working right now on the expansion of the (land) port in Pharr… and at the same time on the construction of this new project to give us even more opportunities.”
Earlier in his remarks, Guajardo had explained that the national headquarters for the federal customs agency is being moved from Mexico City to Tamaulipas. And he said the second span currently being built for the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge is of national importance to Mexico.
“It is one of the biggest projects for the whole country. It is a binational project in which we've been working hand in hand (with the United States) on how to develop it and make it even bigger,” Guajardo said.
“We’re not only duplicating the infrastructure we have right now with a second bridge, but also the investment has (a lot) to do with connectivity in Mexico. This is going to make the operations even more efficient. It is going to make even faster the process of crossing agricultural cargo.”
Guajardo also said a lot of freight that enters Mexico through the Port of Altamira in Tamaulipas crosses through the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.
Guajardo started his presentation by pointing out that Tamaulipas is the most important state in Mexico for exports to the United States. He said that during the first two years of the current administration, Tamaulipas has attracted 117 major new companies.
“We are the 12th largest economy in the nation of Mexico. We have a great fortress with our maquiladora industry.”
During his presentation, Guajardo played a promotional video about the economic vitality of Tamaulipas. Here is the script from the video:
“Tamaulipas is the trade gate of the most important economic region in America. With a population of 3.6 million inhabitants, it has an excellent geographical location in the northeast of Mexico, sharing a direct border with Texas in the United States. Tamaulipas has the most connected border in Mexico. It has 18 international crossings with Texas, which positions the state as the number one in Mexico with the highest trade flow with the United States. Representing 41.6% of the total road flow in the country and 54% the total flow by rail.
“In addition, Tamaulipas has three seaports and five international airports, which allows for an excellent connectivity with the rest of the world.
“Tamaulipas has a diversified economy. Its main industries include foreign trade, electric, electronic, automotive, energy, chemical, petrochemical, agribusiness and tourism. With a strong local supplier base, Tamaulipas companies are linked to a global supply chain, meeting strict international quality standards. More than 850 transnational companies have chosen Tamaulipas to establish their operations and to keep growing, like Caterpillar, Nidec, Aptiv, Panasonic, Posco, LG, Black & Decker, Kemet, Uflex and Emerson.
“This has positioned Tamaulipas as the sixth place in attracting foreign direct investment in Mexico.
“Tamaulipas is a highly educated region where every year more than 7,300 engineers, 18,900 bachelors, and 3,700 PhDs graduate. With the human talent, natural resources, connectivity, industrial infrastructure and quality of life, it allows new investments to find a perfect place to develop their projects.
Tamaulipas is a region of opportunities, offering a great quality of life to its citizens and generating great confidence with investors. The transformation of Tamaulipas is underway. The State Government works firmly for the generation of sustainable development with a humanist vision of well-being for all. Tamaulipas is your best investment.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Sergio Guajardo's presentation at Trade Talks:
