Fruit exporters set for big season

Terry Hutson
Which one will get there first? In another time and place bets might have been laid but happily this is not the era of the tea clippers with skippers racing to take the rich prize of the best prices and fame and fortune to follow. Certainly there is little interest in which reefer ship arrives first so long as schedules and quality to the land of the rising sun are maintained.
Nevertheless claims made in FTW recently (First citrus of the season heads for Japan) raised one or two eyebrows, for at the same time that the Star Reefers’ vessel Trojan Star was in port loading fruit for Japan, so also was another and even larger vessel, LauritzenCool’s Ivar Lauritzen, which was also taking on steri citrus over at the nearby Maydon Warf Fruit Terminal for Japan.
The two ships may have heralded the new citrus season as far as Japan is concerned but already by this time several cargoes of citrus have sailed from Durban for other destinations. According to the specialists 2005 promises to be a bumper year and fruit is reported to be arriving by road and rail at the city’s numerous cold stores. Other ports such as Port Elizabeth and Maputo have also already handled their first ships of the season and are looking ahead for a good season.