WC Agriculture MEC Meyer ‘pleased’ with latest stats showing recovery of sector
Meyer said agricultural industries in the province have over the past two-quarters improved harvests and sales of citrus, dried and deciduous fruit, compared to last year.
by Kaylynn PalmCAPE TOWN - Western Cape MEC for Agriculture Ivan Meyer said he was pleased with the latest GDP figures from Stats SA that shows the agriculture sector is recovering relatively well.
Meyer said agricultural industries in the province have over the past two-quarters improved harvests and sales of citrus, dried and deciduous fruit, compared to last year.
He said the impact of the initial hard lockdown and subsequent alert level restrictions on wine sales and international tourists participating in agritourism activities has stifled growth.
The MEC said citrus exports were performing exceptionally well with the year-to-date export volumes already 13% more than the 2017-2019 average.
“It confirmed that agriculture in the Western Cape will play a leading role in economic recovery. We are also seeing growth in the export of certain agricultural products from the Western Cape.”
Meyer said the sharp decline in wine exports for both bottled and bulk wine was a concern.
He is, however, hopeful that some lost opportunity for exports can be regained in the coming months.