Growth in Africa, coupled with an increasing middle class, provided opportunities for a long-term food export and agricultural relationship between the continent and the US, stated US Department of Agriculture deputy undersecretary Darci Vetter during the first-ever US–sub-Saharan Africa Agribusiness Trade Mission to South Africa, last month.

“We have come to take a comprehensive look at the sub-Saharan market and will use the trade mission as an anchor to do business in Africa. US exporters are particularly surprised at the relative ease of doing business in South Africa and by the sophistication of the market. There are great opportunities for having deeper conversations about what our partnerships should look like,” she stated.

South African agricultural exports to the US include nuts, citrus fruit and wood pulp. Vetter noted that importing citrus – for direct consump- tion and processing – creates jobs in the US – and is an example of the benefits of partnership.

The US delegation met with the South African Deputy Ministers of Health and Agriculture and discussed bilateral trade issues and increasing the use of international standards for food safety and plant and animal health.

“If more countries used international standards in exporting, accepted goods at ports will increase. This will also help more countries increase trade opportunities for the US and South Africa, for which there is plenty of oppor- tunity for trade investment,” Vetter noted.

She expected to see significant growth in bilateral trade, as her department’s initiatives, in line with US President Barack Obama’s National Export Initiative, generated increased awareness among US suppliers of the potential markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

US Department of Agriculture deputy secretary Krysta Harden said during the trade mission that bilateral trade between the US and sub-Saharan Africa topped $4.7-billion last year, with US exports to the region having increased by more than 200% in the last decade.

“However, many US businesses are still unaware of the trade opportunities in Africa. The US Department of Agriculture recognises that the US agriculture industry must act now to take advantage of the growing opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa,” she stated.
Further, Vetter stated that the US government was collaborating with African governments and producers to ensure they understood how to enter the US markets.

Meanwhile, she believed that inter-regional trade was also important and that it provided vast and significant opportuni- ties for various markets in Africa.

“Collaboration across borders and innovation in agriculture and food processing will be key to meeting the nutritional demands of a growing global population. Collaboration on agricultural innovation and bilateral trade will benefit the growing African middle class, but will also allow producers to better meet the calorie needs of lower-income groups,” she stated.
The US–sub-Saharan Africa Agribusiness Trade Mission represented 17 US agriculture and food companies and 15 cooperative groups, who held talks with potential business partners from sub-Saharan Africa and also participated in the International Food and Drink Event trade show at the Sandton Convention Centre last month. The US is South Africa’s tenth largest supplier of agriproducts and accounted for 4% of the value of imports in 2012. South Africa imports a range of processed foods, dairy and poultry from the US.