Johannesburg – Beef producers in South Africa have decried some elements of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which they said lacked clarity on the available opportunities.
In a statement yesterday, Roelie van Reenen, the supply chain executive at Beefmaster Group, said there were a few elements that needed to be better understood before the beef industry could successfully leverage the agreement to its benefits.
Beefmaster is a leading specialist supplier of beef products to the South African and global markets.
Van Reenen said the agriculture sector needed clarity on the plan whereby South African producers are urged by the government to seize the opportunities by the agreement, given that it aims to eliminate 90% of tariffs on goods and services for intercontinental trade, and projections suggest that it could increase intra-African trade by at least a third.
“AfCFTA is well positioned to unlock positive spin off for South Africa and the agri-sector, but we need a more robust and practical plan as to how the picture can look before deep-diving into opportunities,” van Reenen said.
“We are keen to see what the opportunity is, and how we will be able to benefit from the deepened trade and open supply chain with the continent.”
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