US consumers may soon see South African avocados on their supermarket shelves as growers from the country look for new markets to sustain export growth momentum that’s set to taper in its home continent.South African agricultural exports surged 68% to R104.43bn in the six years through 2015, boosted by demand from its neighbours, data from the International Trade Council show. Trade increased as companies including Shoprite, the continent’s largest food retailer, took local products abroad to stock their stores, Agricultural Business Chamber CEO John Purchase said.The "massive growth" is set to slow as producers start to source goods domestically, which means new markets need to be found, he said."We can only really grow agriculture in SA if we grow our export market," Purchase said in an October 6 interview in Bloomberg’s office in Johannesburg. "Where we see big growth areas is avocados, macadamia — macadamia is by far the biggest." There’s "huge potential, especially avocados int...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.