While much of the public debate focuses on oil, fuel and energy impacts, the fruit and vegetable sector faces a silent but particularly serious threat: time.
In the fresh produce trade, every hour counts. Cargo delays at ports, transit disruptions or changes in shipping routes directly affect the shelf life of fresh products. Fruit and vegetables held longer in port lose firmness, commercial quality and storage potential, increasing claims, food waste and economic losses for growers and exporters.
The situation around Hormuz not only places pressure on global maritime transport; it also disrupts vessel availability, increases logistics costs and complicates commercial planning during campaigns where speed is critical. For a sector highly dependent on logistical efficiency, uncertainty becomes a structural risk factor.
In addition, the fruit and vegetable sector plays a strategic role in global food security. Ensuring the supply of fresh, healthy and accessible products depends on stable and predictable transport chains. When international conflicts block or slow these flows, the impact affects not only exporting companies, but also consumers and destination markets.
When logistics stop being predictable
Pressure on logistics chains is already generating visible effects across several fruit and vegetable export corridors.
In South Africa, exporters and industry operators report that some refrigerated containers in Cape Town are taking between 10 and 14 days to leave the port, compared with the usual four days under normal conditions. Delays, aggravated by operational congestion and weather conditions, have caused fruit accumulation in cold rooms and disruptions to commercial programmes.
But the problem is not limited to Southern Africa. Peruvian exporters have also faced congestion at European ports such as Rotterdam, particularly affecting sensitive products such as blueberries and table grapes, where quality depends on extremely tight logistical windows.
At the same time, international logistics operators warn that certain maritime diversions and route changes are adding up to 10 extra days on some reefer shipments, forcing the industry to rethink how to protect fruit quality during increasingly unpredictable transit times.
The most vulnerable fruits: table grapes and berries
Within this scenario of logistical uncertainty, table grapes and berries rank among the most exposed and vulnerable fruits. Coincidentally, they are also two of the highest-value categories in international markets, but among the most sensitive to any disruption in transit times.
Unlike other products, these fruits have very limited tolerance to prolonged delays at port or during maritime transport. Water loss, dehydration, firmness reduction and the appearance of decay can accelerate rapidly when the logistics chain loses stability.
In many cases, the difference between arrival in optimal condition and a significant economic loss depends directly on the postharvest strategy applied at origin. Today, maintaining the cold chain remains a basic requirement, but it no longer guarantees the preservation of commercial quality on its own.
The new logistical reality is forcing exporters to strengthen their postharvest programmes with solutions capable of protecting freshness, firmness and shelf life even in scenarios where transit times are no longer predictable.
The situation for citrus and apples
Although citrus and apples have a longer shelf life, they are not exempt from the problem.
Prolonged delays can reduce freshness, increase the risk of physiological disorders and limit commercial shelf life at destination. In addition, every extra day in storage or transit increases financial pressure on exporters, importers and retailers.
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Postharvest becomes a key factor
The global fresh produce industry is entering a phase in which logistical uncertainty is no longer an exception, but rather a structural part of international trade.
Geopolitical events, port congestion, maritime route changes and climate-related disruptions will continue to affect export predictability. This is forcing the industry to rethink how postharvest programmes are designed today.
At AgroFresh, this evolution is already clearly visible in the main fresh fruit exporting countries. According to the company, postharvest has ceased to be merely a technical tool and has become a key element in risk management and value protection across the entire fruit and vegetable chain.
With decades of experience in fresh fruit preservation, AgroFresh develops original postharvest solutions based on scientific evidence and used globally, with the aim of helping exporters maintain fruit quality, firmness and commercial condition during prolonged storage and transit.
The company also highlights the development of technologies aimed both at decay control and firmness preservation, as well as specific solutions for particularly sensitive categories such as table grapes, berries, citrus and apples. The common objective is clear: ensuring fruit reaches the market in better condition, even when logistics chains are under growing pressure.
