It is encouraging to see South Africa’s focus on Asia, as evidenced by the recent official trips to Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. This region is key to our agricultural export expansion and to other sectors of our economy. Investment issues are also key in discussions with government and business leaders in these regions.
Another critical area is the Middle East, which is also an export expansion area for South Africa’s agriculture.
The engagement in all these exciting regions is not a shift away from our core export markets in greater Africa, the UK, the US, the EU, and other parts of the world. We remain focused on these core trade partners, and the Asia and Middle Eastern engagements are an expansion of our efforts.
We have so much produce coming from our fields over the next couple of years; we must have a market for it to ensure South African farmers remain financially sustainable and continue to create jobs in the rural communities of our country.
So, the export diversification approach is not just a response to challenges in trade relations with the US, but an essential step to support the growth of our agricultural sector and other sectors of the economy.
What will be key from now on is the consistent engagement of these countries at a technocratic level to ensure that we see tangible trade engagements supported by business. The recent trips help register our interest at a high level and with political leadership, but the real work of ensuring we have greater access to a range of products starts now.
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