Land and Sea targets perishable market

The perishable market is a lucrative field for transporters who have mastered this speciality, and continues to draw firms willing to invest in reefer technology. With the economic recovery accelerating locally and globally, the urge to expand into perishable cargo movement seems more logical for firms like Johannesburgbased Land and Sea Shipping. “Yes, there definitely is more business happening in perishables although it’s a very tough market to break into,” said Siva Pather, chairman of Land and Sea Shipping. Pather’s company, whose goal is to become one of SA’s leading black-owned shipping firms, has plans to enter the perishables market. “It’s a big step for us. Currently, our main line is dry containers into the Far East, out of Cape Town and Durban. We have been doing bulk cargo, breakbulk and containerised cargo. But with the economy picking up and our volumes increasing, we feel the time is right to spread our wings into perishables,” said Pather. Land and Sea Shipping has done its homework on the challenges that perishable shippers face, and is preparing to contend with them. “The ports have good infrastructure, although traffic is still a bit slow. But people tend to overcome that,” Pather said.