Japan imported 112,100 tonnes of fresh fruit during February 2021, which was an 8 per cent reduction on the total imports 12 months earlier. The reduced import volume can be attributed to the shortage of reefer containers worldwide.
A spokesman for the fruit industry said that the route from the US to Japan was most affected. “Fruits such as lemons (-56 per cent), grapefruit (-32 per cent), oranges (-50 per cent) and tangerines were on the most part less than half the quantity imported in February 2020.”
“Kiwifruit imports were down 38 per cent. The further tightening of transport availability, especially reefer containers, is expected to continue for another half year or so with shortages expanding to other countries such as The Philippines and New Zealand and South American countries,” he added.