South Africa's fruit exports struggle amid Middle East conflict

Approximately 167 containers of South African stone fruit are stuck at sea after conflict in the Middle East forced ships to reroute, threatening millions of dollars in losses for exporters.

The vessels were bound for Gulf ports when the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz blocked their path. With the fresh produce perishable, exporters are racing to find alternative buyers before the fruit spoils.

"The quality of the fruit when it left the packhouse was absolutely 100% perfect, but fruit obviously has a timeframe and that's the big problem we now face," said Terry Gale, chairman of Exporters Western Cape.

Rerouting the ships has proven costly and complicated. Different markets carry different certification requirements, causing further delays. Freight charges have also roughly doubled, with container costs rising from around $4,000 to $8,000.

"It's ended up being South Africa's problem, because we have to move the fruit. We can't let it get rotten at sea," Gale said.

South Africa is Africa's largest stone fruit producer and the world's second largest citrus exporter.

The Middle East accounts for a significant portion of the country's $1.3 billion agricultural export trade in the region, and roughly 90% of fruit shipments currently bound there have been affected, according to supply chain experts.

Farmers had feared the worst ahead of the upcoming fuel price adjustment, with some stockpiling diesel and certain filling stations already rationing supply.

The government stepped in with relief measures, announcing a temporary cut to the general fuel levy, and said the country's fuel reserves remain stable in the short term.