'No cutting corners when it comes to fruit'

The most value that
fruit and vegetables
ever have is when
they have just been
packed into cartons. “As
logistics people the best
we can do is preserve that
value for as long as possible,”
says perishable shipping
specialist Andy Connell.
“Depending on where
the perishables are
heading that could
mean up to 60 or
80 days at sea with
delivery to and from
ports also in the
equation.
“It is a harsh environment
with different temperatures
at play, so when it comes
to fruit there really is no
cutting corners. You
have to ensure you
are using the best
packaging, good quality
cartons, and reliable
transporters – every
single role-player in the
supply chain has to be at
the top of their game as
any delay is
detrimental.”
Connell,
who is
employed by
one of the
world’s biggest
movers and
marketers of
fresh fruit and
vegetables,
said the
perishables
sector was
a heavily
regulated area
of shipping
and rightly so.
“Import permits
and phytosanitary
documentation are crucial.
These are not government
departments hounding you
for unnecessary information,
they are very
important
risk
assessments.
That is what
ensures we
are moving
product that
is safe and
that poses
no danger,”
he said.
While
it often
involves a
good deal of
red tape and
bureaucracy
there is no denying the
importance of these
documents. In Gauteng alone
in excess of R15 million a
year is spent trying to control
hyacinth on its waterways
while more than R7.5 million
has been spent trying to curb
purple Pompom weed which
has no natural predator
in the country. Phylloxera,
for example, took out the
entire grape industry in the
Western Cape in the late 19th
century. The consequences
of invader species, diseases
or bugs entering a country’s
agricultural sector are dire.
He advised exporters to
take the time when shipping
perishables to get up to speed
with the necessary regulatory
requirements as well as
ensuring they had a logistics
supply chain in place that
was aimed at preserving the
product as best as possible.
INSERT & CAPTION
Every single roleplayer
in the supply
chain has to be at
the top of their
game as any delay is
detrimental.
– Andy Connell