Perishables switch to sea as CA takes off

THE HEIGHT of the perishable export airfreight season has come-and-gone, but this year there was “plenty of capacity”, according to Peter Krafft, m.d. of Ršhlig Grindrod and Grindrod PCA.
This, he told FTW, because of a continuing swing to controlled atmosphere (CA) seafreight shipment.
The advance in CA technology allows the longer shelf life that used to be a motivation for airfreight - and with cheaper freight rates.
The days of “thousands of tons” of grapes being airfreighted are gone, Krafft told FTW. Grapes, lychees and avocados were flown out in much smaller quantities this season.
“I don’t think there was even a charter flight this season,” he said, “with line flights being sufficient to meet the demand.