Western Cape to set up export promotion agency

Exports in the Western Cape are continuing on an upward trend – a move that is expected to be further bolstered by the establishment of an export promotion agency. Addressing the Exporters Club Western Cape recently, Premier Helen Zille said despite the challenging global economic climate and the difficulties presented by national trade policy at times, Western Cape trade was on the up and up. “Last year Western Cape imports and exports were the largest in a ten-year period, exceeding previous levels. The province’s growth of exports was 18.5% over the 10 years, while imports grew by 17.1% in the same period. Something we welcome as we want to export more than what we import.” Zille said some of the Western Cape export growth could be attributed to an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) concluded between South Africa and several other African countries and the European Union, last year. “This agreement improved our access to markets for 32 agricultural products, with a significant improvement in access to the EU market for wine (110 million litres duty-free), sugar (150 000 tonnes duty-free) and ethanol (80 000 tonnes duty-free),” she said. “Our efforts to reach the rest of the world have also yielded positive results. Last year, Western Cape exports to all regions experienced positive growth – with the Americas (43%) and Europe (15%). We also exported products to the value of R19.34 billion to Asia and R42.09 billion to Africa. This is a positive indication that there is huge appetite for our Western Cape products and services across the world. It is very crucial that our businesses make use of these existing opportunities, in addition to the new avenues we are exploring.” Zille said to further grow exports the province was set to establish an export promotion agency in the next few months that would set out to help local exporters access and target new markets, especially in Africa.