Philadelphia, Pa., June 8, 2010 – The first reefer vessel with the first shipment of South African summer citrus for the 2010 season is expected to dock in the Port of Philadelphia on June 24th as planned, despite the recent strike action among transport workers in South Africa.
“Our export program to the United States has been unscathed by strike action, which was resolved about 10 days ago,” said Ms. Joretha Geldenhuys, CEO of the Western Cape Citrus Producers’ Forum. “The reason for this is that the vast bulk of our shipments travel to the U.S. on reefer ships and the workers responsible for loading these ships are not members of the striking union.” The Forum represents the more than 350 South Africa citrus growers eligible to export to the U.S.
The container sector was the hardest hit by the strike and the Forum makes limited use of containers for its export program to the U.S.
Geldenhuys added that the Forum was confident of shipping close to 50,000 tons of citrus to the U.S. this season, up from under 40,000 tons in 2009. The U.S. market receives only the finest and freshest of fruit from South Africa which meets and exceeds the rigorous regulations of the U.S. F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. The use of smaller refrigerated reefer vessels this year enables docking of new fruit about every 10 days, ensuring a more reliable and predictable supply chain.
South Africa is the second largest exporter of citrus in the world and produces 60 percent of all citrus grown in the Southern Hemisphere. Other than the United States, export markets include the European Union, Far East, Middle East, Russia, and the rest of Africa. The South African fruit bound for U.S. consumers comes mostly from the region near Citrusdal about two hours northwest of Cape Town, and the Northern Cape, near Kimberley.
The WCCPF is a consortium of 350 South African growers eligible to export summer citrus to the U.S Its purpose is to facilitate logistical, marketing and sales support coordination of their products. Its mission is to maintain and expand its role as the preferred supplier in the U.S. and throughout the world, be a reliable supplier of safe summer citrus for global markets, and grow and ship the best summer citrus in the world to the U.S. marketplace.
Source: Western Cape Citrus Producers' Forum