Maersk Pakistan has taken steps towards offering end-to-end logistics for citrus exporters out of Pakistan by bundling road and ocean transport.
Pakistan is a thriving agricultural state wherein the agriculture sector contributes more than a quarter of the country’s GDP. Amongst the large exports from agricultural produce, the exports of citrus fruits alone generate multi-million US Dollar revenues a year for Pakistan.
Exports of perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, pharmaceuticals, fresh produce amongst others requires high levels of expertise during its transportation in refrigerated containers (Reefers). Moving reefer containers from Pakistan to several parts of the world, Maersk has been successful in delivering fresh citrus to Europe, Far East and Gulf countries and ensuring that the fruits reach their destinations in top quality.
For the citrus export season in 2019-20, Maersk Pakistan worked with Pakistani exporters to understand how to provide further value in the supply chain. In addition to the ocean leg of transport, Maersk has added landside transportation as part of the same booking, ensuring that the cargo of fruit was picked from the packhouses of the exporters and delivered to container yards near the port via a single booking and a one-window operation. The customers were no more hassled to deal with multiple vendors and truckers, and typical worries such as concerns of container shortages, vehicle shortages and the associated rate volatility were all resolved with Maersk taking on the full responsibility, providing exporters peace of mind right from the time of booking.
Maersk has advanced technology solutions for temperature-controlled cargo, such as Remote Container Management system and a customer-friendly mobile app called ‘Captain Peter’. With these solutions customers can get real-time information of the Reefer containers in which their cargo is moving including details such as the temperature inside the container and other visibility and notification options. These facilities help the customers’ confidence and provide transparency about the safety and quality of their cargo.
Source: Maersk
