Question No. 166
Mr L L Bosman (Democratic Alliance) to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
(1) What has been the percentage of agricultural products that have been (a) exported and (b) imported in each of the past five years for which information is available;
(2) Whether the percentages represent (a) a decrease in our agricultural exports and (b) an increase of our agricultural imports; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Reply:
Total agricultural exports (R'000)
2004: 22 0459.6
2005: 25 749.5
2006: 25 779.1
2007: 29 517.9
2008: 44 593.2
Total agricultural imports (R'000)
2004: 160507.2
2005: 16 481.1
2006: 20 827.0
2007: 29 619.3
2008: 38 918.3
Gross value of agricultural production (R'000)
2004: 73 147.3
2005: 16 481.1
2006: 75 485.9
2007: 91 409.1
2008: 120 155.4
Total South African exports (all products) (R'000)
2004: 292 690.9
2005: 327 129.8
2006: 392 924.9
2007: 489 721.0
2008: 656 154.5
Total SA imports (all products) (R'000)
2004: 306 208.8
2005: 350 378.0
2006: 464 708.1
2007: 561 826.0
2008: 744 657.2
Agric exports as percentage of value of agric production (R'000)
2004: 30.7
2005: 36.1
2006: 34.2
2007: 32.3
2008: 37.4
Agric imports as percentage of value of agric production (R'000)
2004: 22.6
2005: 23.1
2006: 27.6
2007: 32.4
2008: 32.4
Agric exports as percentage of total exports (R'000)
2004: 7.7
2005: 7.9
2006: 6.6
2007: 6.0
2008: 6.9
Agric imports as percentage of total imports (R'000)
2004: 5.4
2005: 4.7
2006: 4.5
2007: 5.3
2008: 5.2
Data Sources:
Trade Figures: South African Revenue Services (SARS) from World Trade Atlas (agricultural products: World Trade Organisation (WTO) definition on agricultural products, excluding fish and forestry). Using calendar years.
Gross value of agricultural production: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and fisheries (DAFF), Abstract of Agricultural Statistics. Using seasonal years.
All 2008 figures are provisional figures and not yet audited by SARS or statistics division of DAFF
Conclusions:
1. Both agricultural exports as well as imports increased over time in rand value terms.
2. South Africa exported more agricultural products than it imported (with a marginal exception in 2007).
3. Over the longer term both agricultural exports as well as imports increased as a percentage of the gross value of agricultural production (a longer time series may be required to see this trend clearly).
a. This means that trade is increasingly important for the sector and the country is increasingly dependant on trade for exports as well as imports.
b. Over a longer term agricultural products have a declining share in total trade for South Africa; this means that trade in non-agricultural products (and therefore total trade) grew faster that agricultural trade for exports and imports.
Assumptions:
1. Gross value of agricultural production is mostly measured by prices at farm gate and do not include all products that are exported as agricultural products (e.g. processed products). Trade figures are mostly value added prices ready for exports and are therefore not the equivalent products compared to the gross value of agricultural production figures.
2. Gross value of agricultural production is measured in seasonal years. The trade data used was for calendar years and therefore periods differ slightly.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
10 July 2009
