© Rederberg Estate"The situation in the Middle East presents us with a big crisis," says Cobus Redelinghuys, managing director of Rederberg Estates in Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga. The final of their Keitt volumes is being packed. "We have a lot of fruit on the water, and shipping lines have cancelled services to the Middle East. Fruit that has been offloaded in India can possibly be collected by other shipping lines and taken to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or Oman."
A complicated solution, he acknowledges, "We're looking at any option right now."
Forty percent of Rederberg Estate's mango crop last season went to a receiver in Dubai who sold it on to clients in every country of the region. South Africa ships mangoes from January until March, before the peak of imports from India and Pakistan from April to July. And if volumes from competitors like Peru and Brazil are low, there's a fair chance for good prices, which is why they'd valued the UAE, he says.
"They don't like Tommy Atkins so much, on account of the fibrousness around the seed. They prefer Shelly, Kent and Keitt."
The South African mango crop is about 30% higher this season.
© Rederberg Estate
Indian diaspora in Middle East a mainstay of mango imports
Some years ago, South Africa's exporting of mangoes took a serious dip, but the growing number of people from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – nations of mango lovers – working in the emirates had been a wind in the sails of the local industry – until the war broke out.
According to demographic data, there are well over 4 million Indians living in the United Arab Emirates, approximately 2 million Pakistanis, followed by Bangladeshis and Filipinos.
"In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, mangoes are a very popular fruit, widely consumed. Because these communities together make up more than half the population of the UAE, they probably are the largest mango consumers in the country," Redelinghuys says. "They – with Indians in the lead – drive the large-scale imports of mangoes from other destinations, like India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Peru to the UAE."
© Rederberg Estate
For more information:
Cobus Redelinghuys
Rederberg Estates
Tel: +27 15 795 5207
Email: [email protected]
https://www.rederberg.co.za/
