South African agricultural exports were up for the third consecutive year in 2022. The export numbers for the full year have not yet been published. The major export crops continued to be maize, wine, grapes, citrus, berries, nuts, apples and pears, sugar, avocados and wool.
These products have been the drivers of exports over the past couple of decades. In particular, fruit and wine have increasingly become the leading export products. These have driven a rise in the value of agriculture (and agro-processing) exports, which have averaged 11% of the South Africa's overall exports, up from 9% in the decade before.
South Africa now exports roughly half of its agricultural produce in value terms. Citrus, table grapes, wine and a range of deciduous fruits dominate the export list. Increasingly, we are seeing the encouraging uptick in beef exports. Imports, nevertheless, remain significant, averaging US$6.6 billion over the past five years. The focus should now be on expansion of South Africa's agricultural exports beyond its typical markets in the African continent, EU and parts of Asia, to new growth frontiers. There is growth in domestic production, and South Africa will require new markets for the expanding harvest.
The priority countries for expanding agricultural exports should be China, South Korea, Japan, the US, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the Philippines and Bangladesh. All have sizeable populations and large imports of agricultural products.
Source: theconversation.com