The Grapefruits Of Wrath

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Unintended consequences are the meme du jour in blogoville. Here comes a juicy one: Grapefruits. Carmageddon is severely upsetting the international grapefruit trade, the Nikkei [sub] reports. Here’s why:

Some 60 percentof the grapefruits consumed in Japan are grown in Florida. Floridian grapefruits account for almost all the grapefruits sold in Japan around this time of year.

Ever wondered what’s in those huge car carriers on their return voyage from delivering cars from Japan to the US? Exactly. Grapefruits. US shipping firm Great American Lines Inc.’s Sunbelt Spirit is one of the few vehicle carriers in the world that has refrigerated holds for carrying agricultural products. Because it can carry as many as ten times more grapefruits than conventional container ships, transport costs are lower. Result: This vessel alone delivers almost a fifth of all Florida grapefruits shipped to Japan.

Now the tart part: “The ship’s March voyage was its sole round trip scheduled for this season, which runs from last November to this June, compared with the three last season,” says the Nikkei. Its main business of carrying Toyota and other Japanese-made vehicles is, well, rotten. As a result, Japanese imports of Florida grapefruits are expected to fall by about 20% in volume terms.

Currently, grapefruits are sold for about a dollar each at supermarkets in Tokyo. Japanese grapefruit lovers are girding for higher prices because the juicy fruit will be in short supply. The next unintended consequence: Florida grapefruit growers want their bailout, too.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • GS650G GS650G on Apr 04, 2009

    The problem with meddling with markets is you end up meddling with them all. No such thing as limited interventions or just a simple bailout over here. You own the entire thing. Pretty soon you're getting asked what you plan to do about everything from grapefruit sales to a Dodge minivan.

  • ZoomZoom ZoomZoom on Apr 05, 2009
    mtypex : No word yet on whether the Florida grapefruit industry will be forced to merge with FIAT as a key condition for receiving funds? Now that was just plain funny!
  • BCD BCD on Apr 05, 2009

    I have lived in Japan for over 26 years. Grapefruits I buy come from Florida maybe 20% of the time. Most come from Israel or South Africa and usually cost about $1.50. A friend of mine told me some time ago that the ships used for Hondas to the US return filled up with California almonds.

  • Kevin Kevin on Apr 06, 2009

    So, the Japanese jam us with big piles of rusting metal, grease and toxic chemicals, and in return we send them delicious food? Boy they ARE winning the trade war!

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