South Africa’s Western Cape Province produces more agricultural exports than the rest of the country put together

Recent research has revealed that 55% of South Africa’s agricultural exports and 40% of the food and beverage exports have originated from the country’s Western Cape Province. Considering that the Western Cape Province only represents 10.6% of the country’s total size, it becomes clear that the province is a remarkable leader in agricultural production.

The recent announcement of proposed improvements in the Western Cape Ports will create a significant boost for the economy of the Western Cape Province, as the agribusiness sector is the traditional heart of the Western Cape's economy and contributes significantly to the region’s export earnings. As the biggest exports from the Port of Cape Town are fruit and other agricultural products, improved logistics in the Port of Cape Town will go a long way to mitigating the current challenges to agricultural exports from the region.??

What makes the Western Cape unique in comparison to the country’s other provinces is its Mediterranean climate. The winter rainfall climate combined with good soils and natural water catchment areas, abundant labour and close access to the Port of Cape Town have made it possible for the region’s remarkable achievement of abundant and diverse agricultural production. The mountains and valleys in the province also create a range of microclimates within the region, which enables the production of a remarkable variety of produce. ?

In addition to being South Africa’s premier wine production region, the region grows table grapes, top fruit, stone fruit, citrus, blueberries, avocados, pomegranates, figs, kiwifruit, raisins, olives, vegetables, wheat, barley, rye, rooibos tea, honeybush tea, proteas, and many other crops for export. In addition to plant-based agriculture, the Western Cape also produces a wide range of livestock, venison and poultry.

The ideal characteristics of a Mediterranean climate are cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Following a serious drought between 2016 and 2018, the region has been blessed with several very good rainfall winters, including the current winter, as water security is fundamental to this success. The difficulties of this drought period are still clearly remembered and the water saving techniques and practices that growers and irrigation experts developed during the drought period are still currently implemented to conserve this precious resource.