March 19th, 2020

I have been summarising news articles this week that deal with Covid 19 associated issues and because the situation is changing so quickly have decided to provide a daily update until the situation settles down.

There have been a very large number of articles Freshplaza , Hortidaily and Floradaily  over the last couple of days
 
I have kept summaries very short and in some instances only provided the title of the article . The full document with links to the articles is available here
 
The following new facts are notable

• While borders are continuing to close to the people generally trade is continuing around the world
• Internationally at best estimates, it will take several months before reefer box positioning is back to a semblance of normality.
• Covid 19 is severely restricting the potential for airfreight. It is estimated that Cost to fly perishables, particularly to Europe, could rise 25% to 30%,
• American and European ports are very short of containers
• The European fresh produce sector is guaranteeing a  continuous supply of safe & high quality fresh fruit & vegetables in Europe and is taking steps to ensure it can keep its promise
• South Africa is still operating but there are some areas slowing down
• In France fruit and vege sales are increasing but more so for those that store well
• The flower industry across a range of countries is being severely impacted

• Produce in Europe is continuing to be transported and sold with panic buying continuing in countries that are not badly affected and  low sales in countries where the disease is ballooning
• With local  farmers markets not operating alternative approaches to ensure customers  can have fresh produce are developing . Examples include Delivery may be the trickiest part of changing your current business model and processes, but several options exist if you sell directly to customers:

• Establish a pop-up stand for customers to pick up products on your farm or elsewhere.
• Designate coordinated drop-off points for your products.
• Deliver directly to customers’ residences.

Purdue has a very good fact sheet for smaller businesses on how to cope and mange sales https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q1/a-guide-for-local-producers-to-navigate-the-covid-19-outbreak.html

• Another good resource  is from Rutgers On Farm Food safety  see the article below Produce pick-up and deliveries during the COVID-19 outbreak: Keeping things safe
• There are increasing concerns about the lack of labour in the short to medium term particularly in Canada and Germany  Expectations for a labour crunch reveal how interconnected the world of global agriculture has become, and expose the strains of production and areas of vulnerability to the supply chain.
• Concerns about availability of packaging has again been mentioned
• There is some indication that the virus survives for about 3 to 4 days on a plastic surface. This is a concern for plastic crates and containers which will now need good cleaning
• The English Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is providing a Coronavirus (COVID-19) E-learning course’

 
Examples of how the world is adapting

• JD.com in China has announced it has signed a contract for supply of SunGold and will be supplying fruit directly to the customer by online sales
• Syngenta cancelled its function to release this years varieties and has replaced it with a webinar

 
And last but  not least two articles that look at how this will change the world and the effect of just in time supply chains. Stating although these supply chains provide abundance and convenience that they may have resulted in decreased resilience . As an exporting nation we will need to find a way to counter this