The ripple effects of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict are hitting South African fruit exporters, leaving containers of fruits bound for the Gulf region stuck in transit.
The crisis is threatening a 1.3-billion-U.S.-dollar export market to the Middle East. Currently, an estimated 167 containers of South African stone fruit are reported to be stranded at sea, risking spoilage. The fresh produce was intended for Gulf markets.
Exporters are attempting to divert shipments to alternative destinations, but their efforts are hindered by varying regulatory standards, limited capacity in alternate markets and additional logistics costs.
Ernst van Biljon, head lecturer in Supply Chain Management at the IMM Graduate School in Johannesburg, noted that the perishable nature of the fruits makes them especially vulnerable to delays during extended shipping times.
"We always talk about maintaining the cold chain, literally from the farmer through to the cold chain containers. Those containers on both container trucks and on ships need to maintain a certain level of temperature, humidity, otherwise you will have spoilage because it takes quite some time for that fruit to reach its destination. Certainly, for the fruit exporters, it is not a good situation at the moment. The Middle East itself has become a very large growing market for us, also largely in recent years due to the tariff issues with the U.S., so we have about 90 percent of our fruit shipments bound for the Middle East that have been disrupted," he said.
South Africa's fruit export hit by US-Israeli war on Iran
Serbian officials and scholars expect that President Aleksandar Vucic's visit to China will further cement the ironclad friendship between the two countries and open up new avenues for cooperation.
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Vucic arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a state visit to China from May 24 to 28. During the visit, the two heads of state will exchange views on bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.
As the first European country that has agreed to jointly build a community with a shared future for the new era with China, Serbia is an important partner for China in Southeast Europe. According to high-level Serbian officials, the partnership could expand even further.
"I think that the most important one, apart [from] the infrastructure, will be scientific cooperation and widening the existing cooperation in each field, from infrastructure to culture. Our anchored friendship could become a role model for everyone else," said Marina Ragus, deputy speaker of Serbia's National Assembly.
Bojan Lalic, director of the Belt and Road Institute in Belgrade, anticipates that actions following the two presidents' discussions can bring stability to Serbia's economic and industrial development.
"We expect President Vucic and President Xi to have fruitful discussions, but also some following steps that will bring stability to our economy, to our industry. I truly believe that when speaking about the future, we are speaking about young people, (which) means education, research, science -- those are fields that I believe are fundamental for our exchange, for our future cooperation, and for our win-win achievements and success," said Lalic.
Ljubodrag Savic, a professor at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Belgrade, highlighted the importance of growing trade between the two countries. Since the signing of a bilateral free trade agreement in 2023, exports from Serbia to China nearly doubled, from 1.2 billion U.S dollars the year the agreement was signed to 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.
"China treats all countries equally, regardless of their size or so-called importance, maintaining friendly relations with countries around the world. The free trade agreement signed between Serbia and China grants Serbia preferential treatment. Most Serbian products can be exported to China almost duty-free. China is a truly valuable friend to Serbia," said the professor.
Serbian experts predict fruitful outcomes from Vucic's visit to China
