Looking beyond SA for export markets

South African exports to Mozambique are declining as the country reduces its dependence on SA. In the first quarter of this year, India was the primary destination for Mozambican goods, with top exports including natural gas, coal, dried or whole pulses and cashew nuts. South Africa ranked second, at $380m, or 13.4% of the total, with electricity, natural gas, coal and bananas being the main imports, according to Mozambican central bank figures. South Korea was the third- largest importer, at $338m (11.9%). The main imports were coal, natural gas and bituminous minerals. This was followed by China with $322m in natural gas, titanium minerals and heavy sands. South African exports to Mozambique totalled $551m (29%), consisting mainly of electricity, automobiles, aluminium oxide and cereal flours. China followed with $304m (16.2%), made up of tractors, machinery, ships, and boats for transport. India was Mozambique’s third-largest supplier – $121m (6.3%), primarily rice and medicines. In 2024, India was the main destination for Mozambican exports, primarily natural gas, coal, vegetables and cashew nuts. China was the second-largest export market, with purchases including natural gas, oilseeds, fruits and coal. South Africa was third, but remained the top source of imports for Mozambique, followed by China and India. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), between July 2024 and July 2025 Mozambican exports to South Africa increased by R670m (66%) from R1bn to R1.7bn, while imports decreased by R1.7 bn (16.3%) from R11bn to R9bn. The OEC data supports the findings of the Standard Bank Trade Barometer, which found that Asian suppliers had steadily been growing market share from South African companies. Some 49% of the businesses surveyed in August 2024 source imports from Asia. There is, however, some inconsistency. In the May 2023 survey, it was 31%, and 48% in September 2022. China is a growing export market. Some 19% of surveyed businesses exported to China in August 2024, in contrast to 7% in May 2023. “Surveyed businesses have said that they are incentivised to trade with China due to the ability to place larger orders, the access to high-quality products, and the lower cost of products sourced from China,” the report states. Mozambique’s trade with the rest of Africa is also growing. Mozambique recorded over $1.5bn in exports, primarily to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, between 2024 and 2025, according to Secretary of State for trade, António Grisp, who was speaking at the launch of the MozExport platform in Tete. MozExport is a government platform focused on the dissemination of preferential trade agreements and opportunities for export. ER