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South Africa has been guaranteed access to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) until 2025, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Thursday.
The department’s spokesperson Sidwell Medupe said the country had resolved all of the issues regarding beef, poultry, and pork, "thus paving a way for continued preferential access into the US market for the duration of Agoa".
South African-US relations took a knock in November last year when US President Barack Obama enforced the suspension of South Africa’s duty-free access under Agoa to the US market for citrus and wine. The suspension – which continued for several months before Obama lifted it March – was the US’ response to the South African government’s continued blocking of US meat imports due to health concerns.
After months of wrangling between the two governments, relations were again normalised and the first consignment of US chicken arrived in South Africa in March.
"The US and South Africa continue to enjoy strong economic relations with total trade among the two countries at R155-billion in 2015," said Medupe.
"The priority remains leveraging market access opportunities that arise from Agoa and there are currently no discussions on a Free Trade Agreement with the US within the Southern Africa Customs Union," he said.
Medupe said that discussions between the US and South Africa would continue with the aim of enhancing "mutually beneficial trade and investment between the two parties" and facilitating market access of products of export interest to South Africa such as chicken breasts, goat embryos, ostrich meat, apples, citrus, avocados, mangoes, and litchis. Litchis will access the US market in 2016.