South African exporters have adapted particularly well to the changes in the trade sector that occurred as a result of Covid-19. This is according to Terry Gale, chairman of Exporters’ Club Western Cape.He said trade, as was the case globally, had been impacted heavily by the initial lockdown period. With the port system having closed down during this time, all exporters were affected. In the Western Cape, the wine industry was particularly hard hit by the lockdown restrictions, which prohibited the movement of alcohol even after the ports reopened and some trade started happening.“Exporters adapted well. This is in no small part due to the resilience we showed,” said Gale. “We have had to adapt on so many levels previously, so this was just another challenge for us, and we have risen to the occasion!”He said challenges aside, the current outlook was good. “In the Cape, we are in the midst of an excellent fruit season. The grape season was good and the citrus season will start shortly. “There has also been an uptick in the export of manufactured goods, thanks to our favourable rate of exchange.” He said that challenges for exporters included space availability on vessels, high freight rates on all trades, and the fact that many services had been withdrawn due to global challenges at transhipment hubs.In Cape Town in particular, the biggest challenge had to do with congestion and vessels bypassing the port.“At the Port of Cape Town, through our weekly stakeholder engagements, we have seen vast improvements over the past few months,” Gale told Freight News.
