South African trade in 2008, focusing on agriculture, forestry and fisheries

This paper aims to identify trade trends for primary products from the South African agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector for 2008. Annual trade data was received from the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The postal code information were used to identify from which province exports were sent or for which province the imports were destined. The postal code provided is that of the exporter or importer, and thus does not necessarily reflect the final destination in South Africa of imports or the origin (province) of our exports. Traded goods are classified using the Harmonised System (HS) that is used internationally. Results indicate that in South Africa, the value of total imports are more than total exports, but in the agricultural sector of South Africa exports still dominate, i.e. South Africa is still a net exporter of agricultural products. The main importing countries for South Africa include Germany and China while the main exporting countries are United Kingdom followed by the United States of America. The top five agriculture, forestry and fisheries imports and exports for South Africa revealed that seed corn is imported most whilst citrus fruit is exported most. Provincial reviews also took a closer look at each province’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector. Nominal values are reported.