Meat exporters opt for CT port

‘Custom-designed’ cold storage
facilities have made Cape
Town the port of choice for
meat exporters, according to
Jon Williams, a director at
Swaziland Meat Industries
(SMI).
“Meat has its own transport
needs,” says Williams. “At Cape
Town there are cold storage
facilities designed for meat
which is why Cape Town is
used by meat exporters from
Botswana and Namibia as well
as by us in Swaziland,” he said.
“Durban’s cold storage
facilities are more geared to
fruit,” he added.
In terms of sea transport,
CT is closer to SMI’s principal
export destination, Norway.
Some 500 of the 700 tonnes
of Swazi beef exported by
SMI annually are destined for
Norwegian buyers.
The better facilities in
Cape Town can be credited to
Botswana and Namibia’s use of
the port for the export of their
beef products, with facilities
developed specifically for meat.
While Namibia and Botswana
meat exporters could use
Walvis Bay, transportation
issues can be more complicated
than going directly to Cape
Town, he said.