Despite the negative effects
of the heat and drought
on the Eastern Cape
crops this year, PE Cold
Storage (PECS) has seen
a “significant increase” in
volumes over the previous
citrus season, according to
director Mark Jensen.
This is largely due to the
closure of the FPT Terminal
in the PE Harbour.
“Part of the value we add
for our customers exporting
citrus through our facility
is that we consolidate
pallets from producers
from all over the Eastern
Cape – from Fort Beaufort
and the Sundays River
Valley to Patensie.
“Where individual
farmers do not have
sufficient stock of a
particular variety for a
customer, the exporters are
able to consolidate volumes
from different farmers to
make up those orders,” he
says.
Different markets
also require different
sizes and varietals of
fruit to be packed
in the same
container.
Fruit that is pre-cooled
and packed in the PECS
facility is exported to
markets such as Europe,
Russia, Middle East,
India, UK, Canada and
South East Asia.
“Our
picking and
packing
systems
that
handle
these
logistics
are
available
to other
users of the
facility during
the off season,”
he says.
