Perishable shippers are reaping significant rewards in terms of extended shelf life by packing reefer containers as close as possible to fruit production rather than in the cold stores at the ports.
“It is a practice that is starting to increase exponentially as citrus producers follow the example of the pome and grape exporters who started this trend back in the late nineties. There are also several logistics players now specialising in offering this service to producers,” fruit logistics consultant Andy Connell told FTW.
Instead of sending trucks with fruit to be refrigerated at the port for packing, the introduction of the cold chain within hours of produce being harvested has seen a dramatic improvement in the condition of exported fruit.
“Reefer containers have made a real difference as growers can now pack on their farms instead of sending fruit to cold stores at the ports for cooling and packing as has been the norm to date,” said Connell. “In the past fruit was under cooling on the ship from port to port, but not from farm to port. Also, port-hole containers had to be taken out of the cold chain when moved from the port cold store to the stack for loading onto the vessel – and that could be a time period of anything from two to 15 hours.”
It was the bold initiative in Marble Hall, Limpopo, that introduced change when producers erected a large inland cold store. It was built to ensure shelf life and product condition by getting the best start possible by packing containers at source, literally amongst the orchards, over 700 kilometres inland from the port cold stores. Connell said more producers than ever before were now loading fruit as close as possible to the orchard where it had been grown.
In the Western Cape, for example, a lot of the grapes now get containerised for export at cold stores amongst the vineyards.
This has seen the development of container packing bays at pack houses on farms as well as the development of bigger cold treatment facilities within easy reach of several farms where producers can consolidate produce and load reefers.
“It really flexes the intermodality of the container to its fullest,” said Connell. “Loading a reefer container as soon as possible after picking and packing and then using its flexibility to meet vessels at the right time and the right place ensures a reliable cold chain that is not interrupted.” It has also reduced the need for third party handling.
“The container is closed by the owner of the fruit and it is only again opened on arrival at the final destination by the buyer of that produce.”
Connell said considering South Africa’s long-distance haul from many of its markets this trend was having a huge influence on the condition of the fruit which was arriving in much the same condition in which it left the pack shed.
“While fruit will always still flow to the cold store near a port to consolidate loads to make up specific parcels, the swing towards loading at source is well under way and will continue to grow as costs, productivity and shelf-life get more focus.”
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In the Western Cape a lot of the grapes now get containerised for export at cold stores amongst the vineyards. – Andy Connell
