Asian market managers with leading South African export companies have hailed the country’s new table grape protocol with China
South Africa’s new protocol for table grape exports to China will remove risk from direct shipments, enabling the industry to land product in peak condition and to develop the market for seedless varieties.
That’s the view of key Asia market managers with some of South Africa’s leading export companies.
Under the new protocol, which will be implemented immediately and in time for the 2016/17 season, the fruit must undergo cold treatment at +0.8oc for 20 days. This represents a significant improvement on the previous protocol, which called for treatment at -0.6oC for 22 days, and was loaded with risk.
Rod Hill, import manager with Chinese importer-distributor Joy Wing Mau, which is part owned by Capespan, said the previous protocol was “extremely harsh on the fruit”, and engendered two key challenges.