Download full report All IssuesTotal value of agricultural imports increased from the first seven months in 2019 to the first seven months of 2020 from 51.15 billion to 54.25 billion, resulting in a growth in value of 6.1%. In terms of YoY growth for the period January to July, the biggest increases can be observed in cereals, whilst beverages, meat and tobacco imports the most severely impacted by the lockdown period.
The grains section focuses on maize (white and yellow) exports and wheat imports. White maize exports increased marginally over the past two weeks, but remain below the 3 year average volume for the equivalent period. Yellow maize exports have increased sharply in the past two weeks, following a sharp decline in the second week of August, whilst wheat imports have remained weak over the past 2 weeks – well below the 3 year average for the equivalent period.
The horticultural focus for this trade tracker is on citrus. The export volumes for 2020 YTD is 15% more than the average for the past three seasons (2017-2019). This is primarily as a result of drastic increases in lemons (+30%) and soft citrus (+48%) for the same period. Oranges (+6%) are also higher, whilst grapefruits (-8%) are lower.