Unseasonal rains a worry for fruit quality THE CALM before the storm. That's where the fruit export market sits at the moment - in the inter-seasonal doldrums.
The deciduous fruit season (running from end-October through to June) has just finished, with a total of 51-million cartons having gone overseas, according to figures from Hennie Olivier of the PPECB (Perishable Products Export Control Board). That's only marginally up on the previous season's 45,5-m.
Given current conditions, the PPECB, however, expects greater things of the citrus season - running from March to September/October. Here, the board anticipates a total of 50-55-m cartons for the current season, well over 10% up on the figure of 45,5-m for 1995/96.
However, Valdy Jensen, chairman of the Independent Fruit Growers/Exporters Association - and a fruit farmer of some note in his own right - points to unseasonal rains recently in the Eastern and Western Cape. This, he said, is worrying. Some fruit is unacceptable, and it's been a high culling situation. Jensen expects there possibly to be less product available for export than expected - especially in Grade 1 citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit and naartjies).
Awaited in September are the early crops that mark the start of the 1997/98 deciduous season - including the peak of the season over Christmas and New Year.
And the excitement as this gets underway is the fact that it will also be the start of the first deregulated season - seeing the end of the previously monopolistic marketing and distribution situation under the control of Outspan for citrus fruits, and Unifruco for decidous. This year, all the growers and exporters will have the freedom to market and export their own crops, and many of the growers/exporters are now becoming active in preparing for the new free market conditions.
While the Unifruco/ Outspan groups are still expected to control about 80% of the export market in future years, it will certainly mean a lot more customers out there looking for forwarding and transport alternatives to the destination market places.
There has already been the sight of one new entrant to the fruit preparation, storage and distribution market - facing the might of the two established groups. As reported in FTW, May 30 issue, the Exatrade Group has purchased majority shares in Cape Town-based Multifruit (a domestic fruit marketing and distribution company) and Cape Town Cargo Terminal (CTCT) - a fully-integrated fruit handling and transport company.
This gives the new operation - trading under the Exacape Group banner - an integrated fruit shipping, handling, transport and cold storage facility, including in-harbour facilities.
According to m.d. Johann Loubser, the operation is already geared up for the coming deciduous season - when it hopes to gain the custom of a number of the new arrivals in the free market grower/ exporter scenario. The fact that the marketing and distribution will be deregulated is also beginning to bleed-off into the physical sea transport sector of the fruit export business. A number of exporters have already cast their eyes around looking for alternatives to the current fruit bulk seafreight market - currently mostly under the control of the Safmarine/ Unifruco/ Outspan shipping joint-venture, Universal Reefers.
