South African agricultural exports rose 3% to a record $13.7 billion last year, led by shipments of citrus fruit and grapes, according to the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).
The increase is the sixth consecutive annual expansion of the sector’s export trade as the country seeks to open up new markets for its produce, said a Bloomberg report published on Moneyweb.
Other African countries accounted for 44% of the trade, Asia and the Middle East 21% and the European Union 19%, Agbiz said. The US received 4% of shipments.
Still, agricultural imports jumped 8% to $7.6 billion because of higher prices of some of the commodities it brings into the country such as wheat, palm oil and rice, the group said. That meant the agricultural trade surplus shrank 2% to $6.2 billion from the year earlier.
