Writing the logistics story

What could be more boring than a port story?

That, unfortunately, is the view most Latin Trade writers seem to take, and it's a bad starting point. Ports, highways and airports are the big story in Latin America, for now and the foreseeable future. Trade is booming, commodities are rocking and the region's economies are increasingly dependent on getting the goods out to sea fast.

If you're having trouble imaging how to write the piece, get the numbers in hand first. Your national ports regulator or public works ministry should have them, and ECLAC runs an entire Web site about it, as well as does the OAS's ports organization (Latin Trade publishes their magazine, CIP.)

Or just read Latin Trade. Mexico Correspondent Marisol Rueda does a bang-up job on a straightforward idea: Mexico is finally dumping money into its ports in hopes of being able to handle increasing trade. They key move on her part was getting the big number: Lazaro Cardenas port is planning to move 1.8 million tons in the near future; Mexico total port capacity at the moment is just 2 million tons. Impressive stuff. Add in the insider interviews, and you have a fascinating look at just how vital moving the stuff can be to the national economy. Just ask Brazil.