Japan confronts obstacles in grapefruit sourcing

The grapefruit stock at the warehouse has been shrinking slowly as the arrivals from South Africa finish by November. In addition, it is usual to expect arrivals from Florida, the United States, and Israel during December and January. However, this year, ocean freights from those countries are experiencing extreme delays, affected by continuous logistics issues worldwide. As a result, one of the major grapefruit importers has already notified its clients of no arrivals in January 2022.

Traders who need to secure some grapefruit volume are now looking for alternative countries, such as Australia, Turkey, and Egypt. Even such alternatives might have their issues, though. For example, Australia still suffers from container shortages or vessel delays. At the same time, Turkey and Egypt may cause quality deterioration of the products due to cold treatment mal-functions due to the Japanese plant quarantine regulation.