Freight carriers bringing perishables to market from Africa are apparently feeling the effects of the problems that are being created by the volcanic ash in the skies of the world that are still causing air space closures and other problems in regions of the world. The freight rates for perishables from areas like East Africa has apparently skyrocketed by as much as 50 percent according to some sources and the costs are apparently being passed on down the supply chain to the consumer. This is of course probably hardly a surprise to freight carriers that have been feeling the effects of the tightness of air freight capacity coming out of Africa of late and according to the latest sources Mother’s Day in the United States last week didn’t help things either. The rush to get the flowers into the United States, so they can be bought and then given to mothers around the country at this time of year is normal and expected according to sources, but the problems with the volcanic ash are the real game changer in this case.
Is this problem likely to go away a quickly as it came? Volcanoes have a mind of their own and this is out of our hands, so we’re just going to have to find away to work around this problem. Unfortunately, the cost of many items is probably going to go up in cases where freight shipments are disrupted and costs become less manageable and predictable for air freight carriers and their customers. The problems with the recession has probably meant in many cases that firms have also put air freight capacity on the sidelines during the recession and this is certainly going to increase the problems with locating capacity out of regions where volcanic ash is causing problems with air freight movements through the skies of the world.
Tags: freight, freight quote, freight transport