Expecting 50% increase in maize imports

The FTP Group – which
owns and operates four
multi-purpose terminals
in the ports of Cape
Town, Durban and Port
Elizabeth – expects to see
a 50% volume increase in
maize imports for 2016.
“We expect to handle
close to 1.7 million tons
of agricultural bulk
cargo through our Cape
Town and Port Elizabeth
multi-purpose terminals
this year,” said Nicci van
Niekerk, customer
relations manager
for the FTP Group
in the Western and
Eastern Cape.
She attributes
this to the high
demand for maize
imports after local
production dropped
significantly due to high
drought conditions.
“The market for
agricultural bulk
imports should normalise
by the second quarter of
2017,” Van Niekerk added.
She pointed out that the
availability of warehousing
space, as well as road
and rail transport during
peak periods remained a
challenge in South Africa
– which put a strain on
productivity throughout
the logistics chain.