WANDILE SIHLOBO: SA ports need revamp to sustain agriculture exports
Citrus farmers have been hit by poor performance at Durban harbour causing shipment delays
I have written a bit about SA’s agricultural trade success after 2018 exports reached a record level of $10.6bn. I have also discussed the need for expansion of labour-intensive and globally sought-after agricultural products such as horticultural products and livestock, among others, in the underutilised land of the former homelands and underperforming land reform farms across the country. But what I have not mentioned is the need for improved and well-functioning ports infrastructure as the growth of SA’s agricultural sector is export-led, and its sustainability depends on exports — a point that is well understood by policymakers. In his state of the nation address earlier in 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the importance of agricultural exports and specifically noted that “in the coming year the government will continue to focus on high-value agricultural products with export potentials such as fruit, wine and vegetable industries, as well as poultry and red meat”....
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