Japan’s fruit imports hit by container shortfall

Japanese imports of fresh fruit dropped 8% y-o-y to 112,100 tons during February 2021. The reason for the fall is attributed to the global reefer container shortage. US imports were the worst affected, with lemon shipments down 56%, oranges and tangerines down 50%, kiwis down 38% and grapefruits down 32%. However, avocado imports (mainly from Mexico) in January and February 2021 were up 8% y-o-y to 11,900 tons.