South Africa's agricultural exports amounted to$3.4bn in the second quarter of this year, up by 0.1% year on year, according to data from Trade Map.

Despite challenges in key export markets such as the EU in the case of citrus, the products that dominated the export list this quarter were citrus, maize, apples and pears, wine, sugar, soybeans, wool, avocados, pineapples, fruit juices, nuts and grapes

Importantly, this good export performance was not only a function of price, but also improved volumes.

The prices of some agricultural products have declined notably from 2022 levels. The improvement in agricultural exports also partly demonstrates the results of continued collaboration between the industry and Transnet to improve the logistics at the ports. However, more work is needed to improve the efficiencies.

The South African agricultural industry has established forums to continuously engage with Transnet and enhance communication about problems at the ports so that the response can be swift enough to drive the exports of high-value and perishable products.

From a regional perspective, the African continent remained the largest market for South Africa's agricultural exports, accounting for 36% of the exports in the second quarter of 2023. Asia and the Middle East were the second-largest region with a 30% share.

The EU was the third-largest region, accounting for 18% of the agricultural exports, with the Americas region at...