SA sees robust agricultural exports

--:--
I am starting to believe that South Africa’s 2024 agricultural exports may reach a new record high and surpass the 2023 record level of US$13, 2 billion. The better prices and output in various fruits, red meat, wool, and wine will be the major driver of the improvement in exports this year.

Already, South Africa's cumulative agricultural export value for the first three quarters of 2024 is up 4% from last year, at US$10,55 billion. The top exported products by value include citrus, nuts, maize, apples and pears, wine, fruit juices, sugar, dates, figs, avocados and mangos, berries, and grapes, amongst other products.

While logistics infrastructure efficiency remains a primary concern for the farming sector, the ongoing collaboration between Transnet, private industry, and the various logistical organizations assists in ensuring the continuous flow of products, even if there are delays in specific periods.

From a regional perspective, the African continent maintained the lion's share of South Africa's agricultural exports in the third quarter of 2024, accounting for 39% of the total value.

As a collective, Asia and the Middle East were the second-largest agricultural markets, accounting for 25% of the share in overall agricultural exports in the third quarter of 2024.

The EU was South Africa's third-largest agricultural market, with a share of 20%. The Americas region accounted for 6% of South Africa's agricultural exports in the year's third quarter. The rest of the world, including the United Kingdom, accounted for 10% of the exports.

Listen to the podcast for more insights.

Richard Humphries and Sam Mkokeli produce this podcast.
13 Dec 2024 English South Africa Investing · Food

Other recent episodes

South African farms are not under siege

One of the themes that dominated the White House Press session this evening was agriculture – the idea that the farming sector in South Africa is under siege and people are running away. But this could be no further than reality. The South African farming sector or farming community is…
23 May 12 min

South Africa cushioned the southern Africa region from a maize supply crisis

At the end of April, we completed South Africa's 2024-25 marketing year for maize. This marketing year corresponds with the 2023-24 production season, which was challenged by the mid-summer drought and led to the 22% decline in South Africa’s maize harvest to 12,85 million tonnes. The big help in that…
15 May 13 min

South Africa expects an ample grain harvest this year

On April 30, we had essential data on South Africa's agriculture. The Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) released its third production forecast for South Africa's 2024-25 summer crop production season. There are seven more monthly estimates to come. But on the third estimate, we begin to have some comfort about the…
3 May 11 min

The excessive rains present some challenges for South Africa's agriculture

We are beginning to be concerned about the impact of these excessive rains on agriculture, particularly summer grains and oilseed regions. The crop has matured in most areas, and some planted earlier are now ready to harvest. However, with these excessive rains, it may prove impossible to access the fields…
26 Apr 12 min