Immediately after the conclusion of the 15th Brics summit in Johannesburg last week, an export agreement was reached with China for South African avocados.
The South African parliament issued a statement to welcome the agreement with China, calling it "concrete evidence of the immense benefits that Brics holds for us and all our partners”.
According to the South African Avocado Growers' Association, the estimated three-year average annual avocado production in South Africa is 139 400 tons, 45% of which is exported fresh to Europe.
With the opening of the Chinese market, South Africa had an opportunity to further expand its avocado plantings, which would greatly contribute to employment through direct jobs on farms and indirectly through downstream opportunities, said the statement.
