About 55 000 tonnes of Western Cape table grapes were diverted through Eastern Cape ports during the last export season, and preventing a repeat has become a key focus ahead of the upcoming export season. The Western Cape government said this week that it was working with Transnet and industry stakeholders to improve operational performance at the Port of Cape Town before exports peaked.
Congestion and operational disruptions at the Port of Cape Town reduced the port’s share of table grape exports from 90% in the previous season to 76%, while Eastern Cape ports handled 21% of exports, up from 6%, according to the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI). In a recent joint statement, SATI, Hortgro and the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) estimated that the disruptions cost the table grape industry about R3.2 billion in additional logistics costs and lost revenue.
Western Cape Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Minister Ivan Meyer said delays and diversions during the previous season had placed an unsustainable financial burden on producers and exporters.
“We cannot allow a repeat of the costly diversion of produce to other provinces. Every delay and diversion erodes farm profitability, threatens export competitiveness, and places jobs at risk across the agricultural value chain,” Meyer said.
The Western Cape government has identified four priority areas for intervention, including improving equipment reliability, strengthening labour and operational management, enhancing communication between stakeholders, and implementing contingency measures to reduce disruptions during the coming export season.
Freight News
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