Although it’s not clear which countries in Africa have become the largest intra-continental importers of local perishable goods, the continent has become South Africa’s biggest market for agricultural and agro-processing exports.
As one of the few sectors of the local economy that performed well, according to the latest set of GDP data released by Statistics SA yesterday, these products accounted for R51 billion in the second quarter (Q2).
This figure is a 12% increase on data retrieved from this sector in Q1 last year.
Top exports that helped to improve year-on-year data were citrus, maize, apples and pears.
According to Reggie Ngcobo, spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Africa’s imports of agricultural and agro-processing goods from South Africa accounted for 35% in value terms.
Asia was Q2’s second-biggest importer of perishables from South Africa, accounting for 28%.
The EU is third, having imported 21% from this sector.
Ngcobo’s boss, Thoko Didiza, welcomed the GDP figures for agriculture and agro-processing.
It made for consecutive quarterly growth figures in a sector – in an economy that has contracted by 0.7%, according to yesterday’s StatsSA figures.
