South Africa’s citrus industry is calling for better planning across the country’s ports ahead of next year’s export season, warning that improvements in port and rail performance will take time.
In a recent newsletter, the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) said the industry needs to incorporate lessons from this season into preparations for the next.
While the association remains supportive of private-sector participation in rail and ports, it cautioned against expecting a rapid turnaround.
“The lesson this year is undoubtedly that it is going to be a slow turnaround. We must factor this in and pre-empt the peak of our season with better plans for all ports going forward,” the CGA said.
The association welcomed the introduction of fortnightly meetings at Durban Gateway Terminal, saying these would give industries such as citrus better visibility of operating conditions to inform their planning.
“We appreciate this undertaking as it will ensure industries like us have a better sense of how things look and can factor that into plans.”
The CGA also flagged the possibility of continued disruption linked to the Middle East conflict, which it said has affected much of the current season.
With the season drawing to a close and preparations for the next underway, the association said its planning should anticipate persistent conflict and related challenges.
