Trade panelists attending a Nedbank discussion group at the Nampo Harvest Day expo in Bothaville recently were unanimous in their opinions that the trade tariffs imposed by the new US administration currently pose the greatest challenge to South African agriculture.
However, they were also unanimous in their belief that this challenge presents an opportunity for our agricultural sector, which has, for decades, been one of the most outstanding performers in our economy.
Our farmers now produce double what they produced in 1994. And of that double, 50% is exported.
The sector is famously resilient and, as such, the pressure this challenge creates also presents an opportunity to seek alternative export markets more aggressively.
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