‘Maputo citrus corridor offers big savings’

The goal of easing congestion
at the Port of Durban by
encouraging SA perishable
shippers to use Maputo Port
is in the hands of the citrus
growers of Mpumalanga
and Swaziland, the only
sizeable fruit exporters whose
proximity to Maputo and
current use of Durban could
make an impact if they were
to alter their shipping routes.
Drawbacks like Maputo port
infrastructure, language
challenges and ethical
problems (read “a culture
of bribery”) are reportedly
improving. Shipping lines’
willingness to increase service
has also been key.
“We have listened to
our citrus grower clients in
Mpumalanga who are now able
to move their cargo through
the port of Maputo where we
have a regular service,” Mike
Economou, director of MSC
Shipping told FTW.
Producing 0.6m tons of
export citrus last year or 63%
of SA’s northern regions’
citrus production, the Maputo
Corridor (comprising the areas
of Malelane, Jeppes Reef,
Karino, Nelspruit, Hazyview,
Hoedspruit and Letsitele) could
export 0.5m tons of citrus
through Maputo annually to
buyers in the Far East, Middle
East, Europe, the UK, Russia
and Mediterranean countries.
No wonder MSC and other
shipping lines have noticed
this potential movement.
Syd Munsamy, whose firm
Sydtrans hauls perishable
crops from farms to Durban
and is located in that port city,
is eyeing developments at the
port to the north. “Limitations
in the reefer capacity at
Maputo is still a drawback.
There is not adequate
equipment for breakbulk,” he
said.
For savings to shippers,
that shortage will have to be
addressed. As indicated at a
Maputo Port Development and
Planning Workshop held in
Nelspruit in April, growers are
agitating for action.
“All areas within a 200km
(North Swaziland, Malelane,
Karino and Nelspruit) radius
of Maputo are guaranteed to
achieve a better CIF deal to
Europe breakbulk over loading
containers through Durban,”
one workshop report noted.
Indeed, research presented
at the workshop showed that
“the Maputo Citrus Corridor
could achieve an average
of R3.00 a carton saving by
transporting citrus to Maputo
rather than Durban. The
Maputo Citrus Corridor is
transporting on average an
extra 480km to Durban over
Maputo. The northern region
transports 14.75 million truck
kilometres to Durban and only
0.5 million truck kilometres
to Maputo. It has been
determined that this would be
costing the northern region’s
growers R80m each year.”
Before they commit to
Maputo over Durban, shippers
want more efficient and costeffective
transport along the
Maputo Corridor to the port,
better customs document
control (in particular the
transhipped phyto through
Mozambique) and a weekly
breakbulk service to Europe
and Russia as well as container
lines on direct call to such
key but currently not serviced
citrus markets as the Middle
East. Reefer technical backup
is also required to prevent
equipment breakdown.