South Africa has identified food and beverages as sectors for export growth in the United Arab Emirates – and new opportunities were in the spotlight at a virtual trade and investment webinar attended by South African and UAE business people earlier this week.
South African consulate general to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mogobo Magabe, said the UAE remained a strategic trading hub for South Africa in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and statistics indicated that the volume of trade between the UAE and South Africa had amounted to US$3.8 billion in 2020.
He said the figure could have been higher had it not been for the outbreak of Covid-19.
“The UAE is also an important hub for exports and re-exports of meat such as beef, mutton, goat, poultry and rabbit.
"There are 13 UAE-approved abattoirs in South Africa, which is a small number compared to other countries. That is why today we have invited both Dubai Customs and Dubai Municipality to present to us about requirements to export to the UAE, which include processes to obtain halal certificates and other important procedures,” he said.
Speaking at the same webinar, the marketing manager for the South Africa Fresh Produce Export Forum, Marletta Kellerman, said 10 million kilograms of fresh fruit had been exported to the UAE in 2020.
“These included exotic fruits, citrus, table grapes, pineapples, stone fruit, avocado, pome fruit, litchis and mangoes. The citrus fruit amounted to 62% of the exports, while the exotic fruit was at 1% in the same period,” said Kellerman.
“The overall value of food commodities in general and foodstuff trade between the UAE and South Africa imported to Dubai in 2020 amounted to R5.2 billion. The trade is an indication that increasing investment in the food sector could be further explored to boost trade with South Africa,” executive director for policies and legislation at the Dubai Customs, Mansoor AlMalik, told delegates.
