South Africa has expanded access to China for South African agricultural products, and there is more good news to come later this year, according to agriculture minister John Steenhuisen.
Steenhuisen was part of the South African delegation that attended the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. A number of agreements were signed by the two countries, including on agriculture.
These included access to the Chinese market for South African dairy products and wool, and acceptance by China of the provincial compartmentalisation of South Africa for the export of beef products following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, Food for Mzansi reported.
“In the past, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth anywhere in the country would have led to a shutdown of the entire beef export market. Under the new memorandum of understanding (MOU) it will only be restricted from the affected province,” Steenhuisen said.
“This is just the beginning of opening up the Chinese market for South African products with more exciting announcements to be made later in the year.”
Steenhuisen said China is the world’s second-largest economy and access to the Chinese market for South African agricultural products opens up opportunity for growth and expansion of local agriculture.
China’s President Xi Jinping told African leaders at the conference that China would invest $50 billion in the continent over the next three years, AFP reports. The news agency said African leaders secured “a plethora of deals” for greater cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, trade and energy. News24 reports that China last year overtook the European Union as South Africa’s largest trading partner, with two-way flows totalling $55.2 billion and the balance in Pretoria’s favour.
Image: The South African delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, during the recent state visit to China. Photo: GCIS. CC BY-ND 2.0
