South Africa has resolved all the issues to guarantee its access in AGOA until 2025. The issues relating to the three meats have been resolved thus paving a way for continued preferential access into the US market for the duration of AGOA.
The US and South Africa continue to enjoy strong economic relations with total trade among the two countries at R155bn in 2015. The priority remains leveraging market access opportunities that arise from AGOA and there are currently no discussions on a Free Trade Agreement with the US within the Southern Africa Customs Union.
Discussions are on-going to resolve issues of interests to South Africa and facilitate market access of products of export interest to South Africa such as chicken breast, mutton/lamb meat, sheep and goat embryos, horses, beef, and ostrich meat. In addition to these products other products of interest to South Africa in the US market are apples, pears, stone fruits, litchis, citrus, avocados and mangoes.
Progress has been achieved with SA litchis accessing the US market in 2016. South Africa continues to engage with the US through strategic platforms such as the Trade Investment Framework Agreement to enhance mutually beneficial trade and investment between the two parties.
