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International supply issues continue to plague horticultural industry

the grower is never left in the dark not knowing if their order has even shipped or not”

Many hydroponics greenhouses, and growers of all kinds, are being faced with serious delays in many key products. Nutrients, clips, wires, hooks, and growing mediums are just a few of the products that have slowed down or delayed unpredicted time frames, which makes growers frustrated. Most delays are caused by COVID-19 pandemic and are still lingering around and having spikes in transmission.

Distribution networks

During the heavy part of the pandemic, many places were forced to shut down entirely. Distribution networks have been taxed and products stored with the distributors were quickly bought up. Some companies have not been able to open their doors yet, and others have been forced to shut them entirely.

“Some manufacturers have over a 6 month back order just for production, not including the new heavily delayed, increased shipping times and prices that we face in this new world. Many companies are even having trouble booking space on vessels to get their products delivered to their clients when they can produce products,” says Eddie McMahon, Sales Manager with Riococo. The company, a leading player in the manufacturing and supply of coco coir growing media, has been one of the lucky ones to stay open for almost the entire duration of the pandemics.

“The employees have always had PPE to protect themselves from the coir dust and conversely to protect the growing media from possible contamination that could be detrimental to growers around the world. The fully vaccinated employees are dedicated to run split shifts, into a day crew and a night crew, to keep all employees working and continually produce products for their clients on time,” Eddie adds.

Major shipping lines

Riococo works directly with the major shipping lines to ensure that the products are shipped out on the next available vessels. “The grower is never left in the dark not knowing if their order has even shipped or not. Our clients are informed of container number and ETA was given by the shipping lines as soon as their order leaves our production facilities in Sri Lanka,” Eddie shows.

The shipping team at Riococo is notified immediately if there is a delay, or occasional advancement in the shipping schedule so the client can be notified every step of the way so they can make the necessary changes to their planting schedule.

“With a distribution network that covers over 65 countries, company owned production facilities in Sri Lanka, Riococo is prepared for the challenges of today’s market without reducing their world-renowned high-quality products. Riococo is truly a growing media like no other,” Eddie concludes.