Ray Smuts
CONTROLLED atmosphere expert Dr Malcolm Dodd received a welcome pre-Christmas present when Spoornet agreed to provide a second avocado train - this time originating from Nelspruit where more than half the region's avocados are produced.
This service will augment the Tzaneen-Cape Town run initiated in 1999, during which 'occupancy' stood at below 40%. This past year the usage improved to just below 50%.
Referring to the new rail service, Dr Dodd, managing director of TransFRESH Africa, the company that pioneered CA technology in South Africa, told FTW: Growers are now starting to see the benefits of rail door to door, above road transportation.
The Nelspruit-Cape Town service, to be launched on May 1, will operate once weekly, transporting 32, 40-foot containers.
Dr Dodd said he attended an avocado brainstorm in October last year where it emerged that fruit packed and brought under CA at source before railing to Cape Town arrived 100% firm at its destination, whereas fruit transported by refrigerated truck to the Mother City and only then subjected to CA showed a slightly less favourable percentage of firmness.
Contrary to what some shippers have had to say about the merits of sending avocados by road or rail, Dr Dodd remains convinced that the latter is the way to go.
The rail system only involves around six potential forklift handlings from the time of picking to the end destination in Europe whereas the road method could involve ten or more forklift handlings from start to finish.
Moving the fruit by conventional ship involves even more forklift handlings, up to 12, so the rail system demonstrates the benefits of the door-to-door system.
Dr Dodd stands by his assertion that if greater use were to be made of the rail services producers would be able to pick fruit later and get their product into CA containers up to five days earlier than the road alternative - and at no additional cost.
As to cost, there is little difference between road and rail even though the latter takes about 12 hours longer. I do believe, though, that road transport costs are going to increase significantly due to fuel price hikes and possible legislation to reduce road speed.
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