Reassurance over maize import logistics
Will the massive volume of maize imports expected this year lead to a complete logistics disaster, as much of the private sector freight industry fears, or will it be plain sailing, as Transnet predicts? Certainly, if the total maize required is the six million tonnes figure that has been doing the rounds, and most of it enters SA through Durban (which most freight experts still expect), then the pressures on the port’s grain handling facilities and outbound transport links will be pretty high. Mitchell Brooke, logistics development manager of the Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA), was the first to express his […]
Continue reading
CT expects 123% increase in dry bulk
e Port of Cape Town is set for a massive increase in dry bulk volumes due to the ongoing drought in the country. According to port manager Sipho Nzuza an increase of at least 123% is expected for the dry bulk terminal this year. “This is due to the expected increase in agricultural imports due to the drought effect.” According to the Western Cape department of economic opportunities, estimates are that the national agricultural production has declined by more than 42%. “It has been estimated that we will need to import 750 000 tons of maize because of the decline […]
Continue readingMajor manganese exporter takes a hard hit
South32, the world’s largest manganese producer, expects to book an asset write-down valued at the equivalent of R27.2 billion, slash costs and trim production after the collapse in commodity prices, according to Business Report. The roots of South32 are in the Southern Hemisphere, with its head office in Perth, Australia, and regional hubs in Perth and Johannesburg. And its SA arm, which is a major manganese and coal exporter, will also take a serious knock. Bloomberg reported that the producer expected to take impairments against coal operations and manganese assets in SA, South32 said in the statement. About 620 jobs […]
Continue reading