Browse Data and Analysis

The South African Agricultural Economic Fact Sheet has been updated to include calendar year 2021. Bilateral agricultural trad between the United States and South Africa reached record levels of US$860 million in 2021.

South Africa is set for a record pome fruit and table grape production in marketing year 2021/22. Favorable weather conditions, new areas under production, and higher yielding cultivars is driving the growth in production.

On April 11, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development announced that the country is battling 56 outbreak cases of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) involving farms and communal areas in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Gauteng. According to the DALRRD Animal Health Directorate, the outbreaks currently troubling South Africa were caused by illegal movements of animals out of the FMD controlled zones in Limpopo.

South Africa prioritized the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases in the global fight against climate change.

As a result of these outbreaks, Botswana and Mozambique restricted imports of poultry from South Africa.

The production of apples, pears and table grapes is estimated to increase in the 2020/21 marketing year .

Continued sharp increases in food prices remain a concern in South Africa.

Post estimates that the decreasing trend in sorghum production will continue in the 2021/22 MY, although sorghum production increased to a 7-year high in the 2020/21 MY due to favorable weather conditions

There are no known plantations for sugar maple trees and maple syrup production in South Africa. While the market is relatively small compared to the United States, it may present niche prospects for U.S. maple exports.