According to Hortgro, which represents the country’s deciduous fruit industry, nearly 1.6 million cartons of stone fruit, apples and pears are currently stuck at sea with no certainty about when they will reach their destinations.
Speaking to Channel Africa on Tuesday, Hortgro’s General Manager of Support Services, Mariette Kotze, said the situation has deteriorated rapidly. “Our shipments to the Middle Eastern market have been completely disrupted. The uncertainty at this point is a bigger problem than the delays themselves,” she said.
Shipping lines have cancelled routes due to escalating conflict in the region, forcing exporters to divert fruit to alternative markets or explore costly options such as trucking consignments through neighbouring countries. “These diversions come with high additional costs, and the sad part is that growers are paying for all of it. There are no insurance claims for this type of disruption,” Kotze said.
The Middle East accounts for between 17 and 20% of SA’s total fruit export volumes, making it a key destination for certain product profiles. Kotze warned that the revenue risk for producers this season is “quite severe”. The oversupply in alternative markets has pushed prices down, adding to the financial pressure on farmers.
Kotze explained that rerouting fruit is far more complex than simply sending it to another port. Each destination has strict phytosanitary requirements, including cold‑treatment protocols and pre‑clearance standards that must be met before fruit leaves SA.
“Fruit is packed according to the specifications of its intended market. If that fruit was not programmed for India, for example, it cannot just enter India. Trade discussions must happen between the two countries to request special dispensation, and while those are ongoing, the fruit cannot move. Meanwhile, it is perishable and has a limited lifespan.”
The bottlenecks are also putting pressure on packhouses and cold‑storage facilities, which are filling up as exports stall. “We are still harvesting, but the fruit cannot move. Our facilities are under real pressure,” Kotze said.
–ChannelAfrica–
