Total trade between South Africa and The Netherlands grew by 26% last year and 25 new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, worth R6 billion, by Dutch firms were recorded over the last six years. But there still lots of room for growth.
Speaking at a South Africa-Netherlands Business Forum in Johannesburg on Wednesday, deputy minister of trade and industry, Mzwandile Masina, said: “This is highly encouraging and we are confident that FDI from the Netherlands into South Africa will continue to grow and we trust that the visit by Prime Minister [Mark] Rutte and the business delegation will lead to further investment by Dutch companies in South Africa.”
He urged business people from South Africa and the Netherlands to contribute towards increasing trade and investment between the two countries.
“Total trade between the two countries amounted to more than R48 billion in 2014, an increase of 26% compared to 2013. There is still a room for businesspeople from both countries to work together in order to contribute meaningfully to increasing this trade further,” said Masina.
He added that the Netherlands was South Africa’s 7th largest export market in 2014.
South Africa’s exports to the Netherlands grew by 21% last year to reach nearly R33 billion.
“The Netherlands is one of very few countries in the European Union with which South Africa enjoys a trade surplus. This is of particular importance for our exports of fresh fruits to the EU as the sector is a key contributor to exports as well as job creation,” Masina pointed out.
The business forum was part of the Netherlands trade mission to South Africa – led by the prime minister – which started on Monday and will conclude tomorrow (Friday).
