The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) in collaboration with the South African Consulate General in Dubai, the South African Fruit & Vegetable Canners Association (SAFVCA) and the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum of South Africa (FPEF) will host a virtual trade and investment webinar with their counterparts on Monday, 15 March 2021 starting at 10:00.

The Deputy Minister of Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Mr Fikile Majola says the aim of the webinar is to deepen the relationship that South Africa has with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to greater heights. He says the webinar will further expose South African exporters to the UAE market opportunities relating to food and beverages.

“The UAE remains a strategic trading hub for South African agricultural products as well as agro-processing.  It is therefore important as a country to continuously expose our exporters in the broader Middle East region to expand their fresh produce and increase their footprint,” says Majola.

Majola adds that South Africa and the UAE have maintained a good relationship since formal diplomatic ties were first established in 1994. He says the relationship has a strong economic focus and the UAE is already a lucrative export market for South Africa products, while many companies are benefitting from opportunities in the UAE in a variety of sectors.

President Cyril Ramaphosa undertook a State visit to the United Arab Emirates in July 2018 to assess the status of the bilateral relations, particularly in terms of increasing investment into South Africa. President Ramaphosa held a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and one of the most important outcomes of their discussions was the UAEs commitment to investing U$10 billion in various sectors of the South Africa economy over 5 years.

“Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations in areas such as trade and investment, transport, infrastructure development, tourism and mining. In this regard, the dtic will be coordinating relevant stakeholders to strategise and identify projects that could be funded by the U$ 10 billion pledged by the UAE,” Majola says.

A match-making service will be provided for South African companies after the event. Participants will also enjoy opportunities with buyers from the UAE with the potential of increasing their exports to the Middle East region.

Total trade between South Africa and the UAE amounted to R44. 7 billion in 2020. Vegetable products remain the third most exported product and constituted a 10.94%% share of total exports.

South African exporters of agricultural and agro-processing products (excluding alcohol) are invited to join the live event and gain valuable insight into the UAE market.

Click on the link to register:

https://aviarepsme.clickmeeting.com/755993698/register

Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe-Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: (012) 394 1650
Mobile: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti

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