A total of 54 000 new jobs were created in the agriculture sector in the first three months of the year, Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said on Wednesday.
Opening debate in the National Assembly on her department's R6.1-billion budget, she told MPs the sector now employed 739 000 people.
"The sector has been able to sustain the growth recorded in the previous financial year. Nationally, [it] created 54 000 new jobs between January and March [this year]."
This was an increase of 12.7% year-on-year.
Scrutiny of the figures showed the job growth "was experienced in provinces where food security intervention was implemented", such as Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
Joemat-Pettersson said China was one of South Africa's largest export destinations for agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports.
"Asia's changing consumption patterns, population growth, structural reforms and improved market access have contributed to an increase in exports from South Africa to the Asian countries," she said.
"China is one of the largest export destinations for South Africa's agriculture, forestry and fisheries products, followed by Indonesia, Japan and India."