According to statistics of the Vietnamese trade office in South Africa, Vietnam shipped US$724.3 million worth of goods to South Africa, down 3.7% year on year, but its imports from the country surged 59.5% to US$386.4 million.

South Africa retained its top position among African trade partners of Vietnam in 2018.

The office’s head Dao Manh Duc attributed the drop in Vietnam’s exports to falling shipments and value of mobile phones and parts by foreign-invested enterprises in the country. As the biggest staple in Vietnam’s exports to South Africa, those products brought home only US$227 million in 2018, down 22.2%.

Footwear and computer-electronic goods are two other main items in Vietnam’s export to South Africa, earning US$108.8 million and US$96.2 million, respectively, last year.

It is noteworthy that coffee shipment value saw an impressive increase of 108.4% last year to US$17.3 million. However, pepper suffered a decrease of 37% to US$9.2 million.

The big increase in Vietnam’s imports from South Africa was driven by a 46.9% growth in fruit and vegetables and a 35.5% rise in wood and wood products.

Meanwhile, metal, the main item in Vietnam’s imports from South Africa, saw a drop of 3.3% in value to US$89.7 million.

Vietnam’s purchase of metal, machinery-tools and steel products fell significantly, with decreases of 88.2% and 40%, respectively.

Following South Africa, Egypt is the second largest trade partner of Vietnam in Africa, with bilateral trade going up 36.6% in 2018 to US$439 million.

Vietnam’s trade with 53 out of 55 African countries was estimated at US$6.6 billion in 2018, with an export value approximating US$3 billion, up 10% year on year, according to statistics of the Department of Asian-African Markets under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Vietnam-South Africa trade to hit 2 billion USD in 2019

Trade between Vietnam and South Africa is expected to reach 2 billion USD at the end of 2019, heard a recent workshop in the central city of Hue.

 

Domestic pork prices rise amid African swine fever fears

Pork prices in Vietnam have begun to rise again over the past week amid news that African swine fever has now spread to 12 countries around the world, which forced the government to ban pork imports from Hungary and Poland.

 

Measures urged to be taken to prevent African Swine Fever

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 11 signed a document urging measures to be taken to prevent the African Swine Fever (ASF) disease from entering Vietnam.

 

Vietnam attends Africa’s largest trade fair

Vietnam’s products of strength, including coffee, rice, garments and textiles, and construction materials are being showcased at the South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) 2018, which opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 24.

 

South Africa’s Freedom Day celebrated in HCM City

The Honorary Consulate of South Africa in Ho Chi Minh City hosted a ceremony on April 21 to mark South Africa’s 24th Freedom Day (April 27), the 25th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties with Vietnam and the 100th birth anniversary of late President Nelson Mandela.

 

Source: NDO