By Eamonn Ryan
© Cold Link Arica
While the Export Strategy 2035 outlines a positive vision for future growth, it also acknowledges several structural constraints that continue to affect exporters. Among the most significant are inefficiencies in transport and logistics systems that increase costs and reduce competitiveness.
The province identifies challenges including port performance, rail limitations, air cargo capacity constraints and broader freight logistics inefficiencies. These issues are not unique to the Western Cape, but they have a direct impact on the province’s ability to compete in international markets.
Many of these constraints fall outside the direct control of provincial government and require co-operation between national government, state-owned entities and private-sector stakeholders.
The strategy therefore places significant emphasis on collaboration, infrastructure investment and long-term planning.
Building a regional logistics hub
The Western Cape also sees an opportunity to strengthen its role as a regional trade gateway. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents new opportunities for regional commerce and supply chain integration. Improved transport networks and more efficient logistics systems could position the province as a key distribution hub for trade within Africa and beyond.
This vision aligns with ongoing efforts to improve freight corridors, modernise logistics infrastructure and encourage greater private-sector participation in transport systems.
The strategy further calls for infrastructure investment to be better aligned with efficient freight networks and supply chains, helping to lower transport costs and improve market access for exporters.
What this means for the cold chain
For cold-chain operators, the infrastructure challenges identified in the strategy are particularly significant. Perishable products are more vulnerable than most cargo to logistics disruptions. Delays at ports, congestion on transport routes or interruptions in power and refrigeration systems can quickly translate into quality losses, reduced shelf life and financial losses.
As a result, many of the reforms highlighted in the strategy would directly benefit the cold chain.
Improved port performance would reduce dwell times for refrigerated cargo.
Enhanced rail services could support more sustainable movement of temperature-controlled products between production regions and export gateways.
Greater air cargo capacity would improve access to premium export markets for high-value perishables.
Additional investment in logistics infrastructure would help create stronger links between farms, packhouses, cold stores and transport networks.
The province has already seen examples of this trend through investments in modern cold-storage facilities and reefer infrastructure aimed at supporting agricultural exports. Such developments are likely to become increasingly important if export growth targets are to be achieved.
A shared responsibility
The Export Strategy 2035 highlights an important reality: export growth is not simply a trade issue. It is also a logistics issue. For the cold chain sector, the strategy reinforces the critical role that refrigeration, storage, transport and supply chain infrastructure play in enabling economic growth.
If the province succeeds in improving freight efficiency and reducing logistics costs, cold-chain operators could become some of the biggest beneficiaries. Conversely, if infrastructure constraints remain unresolved, they may become one of the greatest obstacles to achieving the province’s export ambitions.
The success of the Western Cape’s export vision may therefore depend as much on what happens in its cold stores, ports and logistics corridors as it does in its boardrooms and trade missions.