Time is of the Essence: JP Landgoed Overcoming Challenges in the Citrus Industry

J P Landgoed (PTY) LTD (J P Landgoed), a mandarin fruit farm in Limpopo, South Africa, was founded by Cobus Beetge in 2014. The firm grew from a few mandarin trees to a well-established export-oriented company. In July 2021, at the peak of the harvest season, Beetge received an email from the Citrus Growers Association of South Africa. The email stated that although port activities in Durban had resumed and the port was fully operational capacity following looting and riots in KwaZulu-Natal province, the backlog was severe and most cold-storage facilities were at capacity; as such, Durban harbour was not accepting any further consignments. This meant uncertainty for J P Landgoed, with the firm having to deal with confined consignments due to the backlog as well as others scheduled for dispatch from the farm. Beetge called a meeting with his financial manager, Francois Venter, to discuss the issue and come up with a solution.