February 16th, local media reported that the South African Agricultural Chamber of Commerce said that despite the impact of the coronavirus lockdown measures, South Africa’s agricultural exports increased by 3% in 2020, the second highest in history, reaching $10.2 billion.
At the same time, the Agricultural Chamber of Commerce also said that South Africa’s agricultural exports are expected to grow further in 2021.
South Africa’s agricultural chamber said that South Africa’s agricultural products have become more competitive in the global market due to the favorable climate conditions and a bumper crop harvest in 2020, coupled with the weakening of South Africa’s currency.
The top ten export products in value are citrus, grapes, wine, apples, pears, corn, nuts, sugar, wool and juice.
Agriculture in the country is largely unaffected by the lockdown, and despite shrinking GDP, agriculture achieved growth in all three quarters in 2020, according to Statistics South Africa.
