grape |
The proposition was
tabled by NileDutch's commercial director Leo Huisman during a
tablegrape pre-harvest season meeting at Aussenkehr, as he outlined that
NileDutch can be the solution to using the Lüderitz port.
Namibian grapes are
currently exported to the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands via Cape
Town in South Africa, with the produce moved from Namibia to South
Africa by truck.
Huisman indicated
that NileDutch was ready to provide a reliable and quality service that
will ensure the grapes are no longer transported to South Africa before
shipment, but shipped to Europe straight from Namibia through Lüderitz
Port.
"We promise to
offer direct Lüderitz to Europe services that are reliable and
personalised," he told the grape growers at the meeting. Details of the
costs were however not discussed, but many grape growers said the idea
is good if the price is right.
The Agro-Marketing
and Trade Agency (AMTA) and Namibian Port Authority (Namport) initiated
the plan to conduct a trial of trans-shipping Namibian grapes via the
Port of Lüderitz. The first trial was conducted in 2015, but proved
rather costly.
Since then, grape
companies have been reluctant to use the Lüderitz route, but most
growers at the meeting were once again open to the idea. Many said the
cost is the overall deciding factor though, and beating the current
transportation prices should be the aim.
Sonop Farms
director Nico Van Der Merwe told New Era after the meeting that the
Lüderitz route would a good option overall, but he was quick to note
that it all comes down to how much it costs, noting that the trial run
in 2015 cost the companies more than normal.
"I think it's a
good option, but the cost will help us make a final decision, because
the last time we tried, it cost us 34 percent more than our current
route," he said.
NileDutch is a Netherland-based company that specialises in container shipping to and from Africa.
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