Growing KwaZulu-Natal’s agricultural sector and increasing the export of its perishable goods is at the heart of the Dube AgriZone. Having recently signed its first international contract – a R10- million-per-annum deal with Dutch flower producer KP Holland to supply Thai tulips to Amsterdam during its winter season (October to March), the facility will grow, harvest, package and export 30 000 flowers a week. With the first five trial consignments having been successfully exported and favourably received by KP Holland, it is being heralded as the start of a KwaZulu-Natal success story. For Saxen van Coller, CEO of Dube TradePort, it is the first of many more big things to come. “Although interest started slowly around the AgriZone, it has picked up tremendously since the commencement of operations,” she told FTW. “There has been an overwhelming response to the initiative as all the facilities are occupied and our first contracts for export signed and sealed. Farmers and operators are also just as eager to expand their operations.” Which is why expansion is high on the agenda. Already planning is under way that will see the 16-ha facility increase capacity. “Our aim has really been to create a cluster of facilities and services that will stimulate the growth of KwaZulu-Natal’s perishable sector,” said Van Coller. “And we know that we can establish our region as an internationally competitive exporter of high quality perishables. The opportunities are there and through the continued investment in our infrastructure and services we believe it is very possible to achieve our goals.” With its three major tenants – that include Qutom Farms who produce red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers; Carmel Nursery, which grows pot plants and cut flowers; and Farmwise, which processes and packages salad and a range of other fresh produce lines for local retail outlets, as well as the AgriLab, a state-of-the-art tissue culture facility that provides disease-, virus-free, true-to-type plants – the AgriZone is proving the benefit of an agricultural zone working handin- hand with a trade port. “The tulips are an excellent example of the benefit of the integration of the various operating zones and the logistics platform offered by Dube TradePort,” said Van Coller. “The plants are cultivated in the AgriLab tissue culture facility under sterile conditions, providing better-quality, disease-free plants grown in the greenhouses under climate-controlled conditions. The cut flowers are then packaged, loaded in the refrigerated trucks in the distribution centre, cleared for export at the Dube Cargo Terminal, taken to the nearby King Shaka International Airport, flown to Dubai and then on to Amsterdam — all in all a three-day turnaround.” Using technology-intensive management systems, the AgriZone is benefiting the speed, yield and quality of agricultural production, while a dedicated team of more than 200 staff ensures an uninterrupted agricultural process from producer to end-user. “The tulip contract has allowed us to learn some very valuable lessons so far,” said Van Coller, one being the protection of a sensitive perishable product transported over thousands of kilometres. “It has probably been the biggest challenge – making sure we protect the cut flowers from any potential damage throughout their journey from Durban to Amsterdam. Various packaging options were put to the test, with test shipments flown from Durban to Amsterdam to establish which packaging option best suited the transport conditions. The perfect solution was established resulting in a test shipment arriving in Amsterdam with zero damage,” she said. “Maintaining the required temperature throughout the export process also presented some challenges with potential breaks in the cold chain link. This was overcome by wrapping the cut flowers in special thermal blankets that maintained the required temperature during transportation from the cargo terminal to the aircraft. Special Cool Dollies were used in Dubai to keep the cut flowers cool whilst they were being transported from the arriving aircraft to the aircraft scheduled for Amsterdam.” Van Coller admits the learning curve has been steep, but said that there was no doubt the AgriZone would stimulate a move towards more high-value production in the province, and act as an incubator for new producers by providing training, mentoring, technical assistance and other support services. Its close proximity to the airport provides the perfect opportunity for growing KwaZulu-Natal’s airfreight export market. “We have made a significant investment, installing state-ofthe- art infrastructure that will allow this province to become globally competitive and increase the prospects of the province, creating and sustaining valuable jobs and attracting foreign direct investment,” she said. CAPTION Some 30 000 flowers grown at the Dube AgriZone will be exported to Holland during October and March every year.
