Import growth offers encouraging potential

JOY ORLEK IN AN industry where uncertainty is the only constant, adapting to change is a critical survival tool. Weather patterns and global competition have played their role over the past year, and recent very cold weather has been responsible for a particularly quiet off-season, says Skyservices MD Bernd Jülicher. “We’ve had frost on passion fruit and mini-vegetables, which is unusual for this time of year, so our off season has been very off.” And while meat exports have held their own, particularly stormy seas have reduced fish export volumes. “Fortunately for everyone we had a good peak season last year and we’re hoping for more of the same in the season ahead,” says Jülicher. An encouraging new trend has been the growth in perishable imports which was a small market five years ago, and which is expanding all the time. “As our middle class grows there’s a greater demand for a variety of fruits and vegetables year-round,” says Jülicher. “For example we’re bringing in green asparagus from Peru flying Lima – Atlanta – Johannesburg twice a week. “Imports were previously limited to Christmas, Easter and other special holidays, but they’ve now become a day-to-day business and it’s growing.” ‘A’ level retailers are carrying offseason lines like grapes, stoned fruit and cherries from Egypt, Spain and Turkey and avocados from Kenya are a regular import around Christmas time. And while Jülicher believes there is plenty of room to grow this market, southbound cargo rates could be an inhibiting factor. “There’s a huge discrepancy between north- and southbound rates, and that combined with costs in Europe and the strength of the rand will all have an influence.” For the export season ahead, he’s optimistic. “We’ve taken on board two experienced new staff members – sales and marketing director Jaco Vlok and branch manager Jaco van den Berg – and as long as weather conditions, the fuel price and the rand play ball, we’re expecting a bumper season.”