Ray Smuts
EXTENSIONS have been commissioned that will more than double storage capacity at Kakamas's Groot Gariep Cold stores in the Northern Cape.
Piet Karsten, prominent grape farmer and chairman of Groot Gariep, says of the R8,5m project that it is of vital importance in order tosuccessfully handle the growth of exports.
The cold store, a partnership between Capespan and producer shareholders in the Lower Orange River region, will handle about 2,2 million cartons during this season which only lasts about eight weeks.
The extensions consist of ten cold stores each with a refrigerating capacity of 56 pallets of grapes within 24 hours. As it is important that grapes are refrigerated as soon as possible after packaging and also during the entire logistics chain - particularly when temperatures are apt to rise to more than 40C in the region - the new cold stores will enable Capespan to handle grapes faster and more efficiently.
What is more, the complex ensures that the sorting for special markets and the sterilisation of grapes for the United States are handled more effectively. Modern equipment has been installed in all the stores which ensures that fruit temperatures can be monitored and recorded 24 hours a day.
Groot Gariep also makes use of the well-known pallet-tracking system Paltrack 'RF' which is one of a kind in the Lower Orange River region.
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