South African citrus has been sold mainly east of the Mississippi River

South African citrus producers will ship 20 percent more fruit this summer to Gloucester Terminals L.C.C. on the Delaware River because, for the first time, some of the fruit is going by refrigerated rail to the West Coast.

The first navel oranges, clementines and grapefruit of South Africa's citrus season, now through mid-October, were unloaded Tuesday from the Tama Hope, docked south of the Walt Whitman Bridge. Stevedores went into the hatches to remove 2,800 pallets, each weighing about a ton.Fresh fruit from Chile, Spain, Morocco and Argentina and bananas from the world's largest producers are a year-around business in the ports of Philadelphia, Wilmington, South Jersey, and Chester.Fresh fruit accounts for about 25 percent of ship cargoes coming into the Delaware River. About 50 percent, excluding bananas, arrive from Chile in the winter.

Historically, South African citrus has been sold mainly east of the Mississippi River. But this year a consortium of 350 South African growers has arranged for a refrigerated rail company, Railex L.L.C., to transport about 30 percent of the fruit by train from Rotterdam, N.Y., to California and Washington State.All South African fruit to the United States passes through Gloucester and has for more than a decade.

"It will be about 20 percent more citrus than was imported last year, another 5,000 pallets," said Marc Solomon, president and chief executive officer of Fisher Capespan, a large importer of South African citrus.