Wandile Sihlobo: China is no replacement for the US in SA agri

The primary focus for South African trade this week is on United States policy and tariffs. In this interview with BIzNews, Wandile Sihlobo, the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), warns that South Africa “cannot just substitute the US” and that “it's really about listening to what the US puts on the table, about what they demand, and see what South Africa can continuously improve on the offer that we have”. He lists all the reasons why China should not be seen as a replacement for the US market. He further cautions that trade with BRICS countries should also not be viewed as a replacement for the US or other markets.  "We can't because…the US is about 4% of our agricultural exports, but the African continent, which is largely not part of the BRICS, accounts for about half of South Africa's agricultural exports. The EU accounts for about 19% of South African agricultural exports.” Sihlobo also gives an overview of major developments in the agriculture sector over the past 31 years, and lists all the steps needed to keep the sector on a positive footing.

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