Inefficiency at the country’s ports is an ongoing headache for South Africa's agricultural sector.
Recent reports reveal that equipment breakdowns have disrupted operations significantly.
In August, truck backlogs outside the Port of Durban became a pressing issue, with vehicles experiencing average wait times of up to 16 hours to collect containers.
This situation underscored the logistics utility’s struggle to handle increased container volumes, a problem further aggravated by frequent straddle carrier breakdowns.
These delays have severely affected the management of container stacks at Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 in particular.
The Port of Cape Town has also faced challenges. At the beginning of the year, the deciduous fruit industry encountered substantial delays at this port, which had costly repercussions for farming businesses.
“The collaboration between Transnet, organised business and the agriculture sector stakeholders to improve efficiency at South African ports must continue,” said Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, emphasising the importance of efficient logistics as the lifeblood of agriculture exports.
- Read the rest of this article in our Freight Features edition on "Agriculture".
