South Africa’s exports to fellow African countries surpassed its trade to the European Union in 2021 – with some US$26 billion recorded as compared to exports to the EU which amounted to US$24 billion during the same year, APA has learnt.
Speaking during a debate to observe Africa Day on Wednesday, International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Alvin Botes told a sitting of the National Assembly that the recent establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has boosted South Africa’s trade with the rest of the continent.
“We have recorded that, unlike in the past when the chief trading partner to South Africa was the European Union, what I can confirm to this House, ladies and gentlemen, is that exports to fellow African countries in 2021 stood at $26 billion against exports to the EU which stood at $24 billion during the same year,” Botes said.
He said the increase showed that the AfCFTA was an important instrument in mobilising the agricultural communities and the enhancement of food security.
The deputy minister said South Africa was committed to halving poverty through farming by 2025 by working with fellow African states.
“We are committed, as South Africa, to work towards the halving of poverty through agriculture by 2025,” Botes said.
NM/jn/APA