FPT reveals big expansion plans for Maputo

R100m investment planned over next two years RAY SMUTS THE MOZAMBICAN port of Maputo is receiving a good deal of attention from South Africa’s Fresh Produce Terminals, which plans to inject more than R100 million into new and upgraded cooling facilities within the next two years. FPT managing director Danie Maartens says a new 5 000-pallet, R40-R50 million cold store will be erected behind the existing facility, after which the old store will be redeveloped at a further cost of some R60 million to provide total capacity of up to10 000 pallets. It is projected that these facilities will be fully operational by 2008. Construction has begun on a 5 000-pallet, R40 million cold store at Hermitage in the Eastern Cape, which will be operational by July. Says Maartens: “We are also expanding our logistics services and have achieved great success in Durban in being able to manage fruit from the time it arrives at warehouses to the shipping stage. “This service will be extended to Port Elizabeth, then Cape Town and Maputo will link in with the Durban environment, incorporating IT systems in outside stores. This is all aimed at improving the flow of cargo and its availability in order to turn ships around quicker.” FPT will also expand its logistics services further inland, first to the citrus producing area of Letsetele in Mpumalanga, where equipment will be on hand to handle product from truck to rail and pallets entered into the system to advise ports the cargo is on its way. Maartens anticipates the company will handle around 1.1 million pallets of fruit generating revenue of just over R300 million.