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Minister Parks Tau and China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, have signed the China–Africa Economic Partnership Agreement (CAEPA)
South Africa’s agricultural sector stands to benefit from a trade deal signed with China that will provide tariff-free access for many local products to the Chinese market as well as other opportunities.
Trade Minister Parks Tau signed a framework agreement with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing this week where he is leading a delegation to the Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting.
The China-Africa Economic Partnership Agreement is expected to be followed by negotiations on an Early Harvest Agreement by the end of March 2026.
Senior Agricultural Economist at FNB, Paul Makube, says the agreement presents an opportunity for local farmers to export high-value produce and diversify beyond traditional Western markets.
“Obviously, more markets opened, the more the merrier. And we’re looking at that from an expansion perspective. So, this creates an opportunity if we are managing to move those volumes, it creates an opportunity to actually go into another phase of investment into the sector in terms of creating an opportunity to expand production. So, that’s the downstream impact of the recent announcement. We’re likely to see increases in demand for land, for various fruit commodities, as it were.”
Related Video | G20 Summit | Parks Tau on trade discussions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKRUsTFJPBQ
