No one looks forward to complications when it comes to fresh produce exports, but sometimes they’re unavoidable. Whether it’s due to incorrect sizes, wrong packaging or flat-out rotten produce, there are many reasons for importers to reject fruits & vegetables. For exporters, it is vital to have someone at the receiving end able to collect, re-sort and re-pack rejected produce that may still have value. Momo HK is providing this new service to companies exporting their fresh produce to Asia Pacific.
Mohamed Elmalt, Director of Momo HK, started by helping his family’s horticulture business export table grapes from Egypt into Hong Kong. Momo HK expanded quickly, and now works with several suppliers to sell a variety of fruits & vegetables to retailers and wholesalers across Asia. Momo HK effectively provides assistance to suppliers dealing with rejected produce: “Sometimes I would check the quality of the produce and see nothing was really wrong with it; at other times only part of the produce was not up to par. At the end of the day, exporters without representation here would have to accept claims or rejections as they have no real means to contest them.
Naturally, I represent the interest of my suppliers and therefore my suppliers trust my judgement. I would discard produce that we couldn’t work with anymore, but sort and repackage everything else. I would then send it back to the original customer or wholesale market as the case may be. My job is to make sure as much exported produce is accepted and in-so-doing minimize the overall financial loss. Luckily, I have exceptional local partners in Hong Kong who run a first class sorting & packing facility.”
“More often than not, quality specifications of the produce sold in Hong Kong and generally in Asia are left undefined.” Exporters may not have a clear idea why their produce is rejected. Moreover, investigating rejected produce is often difficult for exporters based in Europe, Africa, Australia or the Americas due to high travel costs and/or limited intervention time. “Now fresh produce exporters hire me to survey the produce when it comes in. Sometimes they ask me to survey their cargo even if no claims are lodged. Some are doing it for compliance purposes or simply in anticipation of potential quality claims resulting from transit delays. Either way, in hiring me, exporters have an impartial third-party opinion which enables them to take proper action.
This new service is gaining popularity and Momo HK now provides this service outside of Hong Kong: “We work with a packing house in Singapore, giving us the chance to replicate the service we render in Hong Kong.
We also conduct quality surveys in China, India, Singapore and Vietnam. As imported produce has varying requirements, depending on the receiving market, having somebody local you can trust is invaluable. We make sure the discarded produce is minimized and profits maximized, making our service not only great for businesses, but also for our planet.”
For more information:
Mohamed Elmalt
MOMO HK LTD
Mobile: +85261900587
Email: [email protected]
www.momohkltd.com