South African fruit and vegetable producers are being given the opportunity to break into the export market with the creation of a new tradeport.
The scheme, a public-private partnership, is designed to create a multi-modal logistics gateway, providing sea, air, road and rail facilities, on the east coast of South Africa at La Mercy.
The new tradeport will effectively see the relocation of Durban airport to the new site, said Hamish Erskine, project executive at Dube TradePort. “Growth at Durban airport is restricted because there just isn’t the space so this is effectively a relocation exercise in some ways.”
The move will create a dedicated cargo terminal with the ability to handle perishable goods, he said.
Exports of fresh produce, such as pineapples, avocados and citrus, will be a key focus, particularly to the UK and EU markets: “There will be continued effort from both the provincial and national government to support exports of fresh produce.
“There is an established market within the UK and we’re keen to establish our own trade routes there.” Erskine added Dube will also be focusing on Europe, particularly the Netherlands and Germany, as well as linking up with Dubai.
The project will encourage producers to move into the zone: “We can offer farmers land in close proximity to the airport,” said Erskine. The government is also investing in making access easy to services such as technical, financial, training and marketing, by offering them within the zone itself.
