Shipments from SA may be recovering
SA shipped $89.5bn worth of goods in 2017. That is a 5.9% drop since 2013 but a 20.8% gain from 2016 to 2017, according to worldstopexports.com (WTEx).
For the six months to June 2018 SA exported goods valued at $46.3bn, up 7.5% compared to the first six months of 2017.
WTEx says 32% of SA exports by value are to Asia, 26.3% to Africa, 23.9% to Europe and 8% to North America.
The following groups represent the highest dollar value in SA exports in 2017; also shown is the percentage share of each category in terms of exports: gems, precious metals: $14.9bn (16.7% of total exports); ores, slag, ash: $11.3bn (12.6%); mineral fuels including oil: $10.6bn (11.8%); vehicles: $9.8bn (11%); iron, steel: $6.1bn (6.8%); machinery including computers: $5.4bn (6%); fruit, nuts: $3.4bn (3.8%); electrical machinery, equipment: $1.8bn (2%); aluminium: $1.8bn (2%); beverages, spirits, vinegar: $1.4bn (1.5%).
WTEx lists SA’s fastestgrowing export categories from 2016 to 2017 as: mineral fuels including oil (up 49.4%), ores, slag and ash (up 47.9%) led by iron, manganese and chromium, then gems and precious metals (up 24.7%) led by gold and imitation jewellery.
For the six months to June 2018 SA’s imports were valued at $46.5bn, up 14.3% compared to the first six months of 2017.
WTEx reports that 44.7% of SA’s imports by value in 2017 were from Asia. Europe supplied 32.5%, Africa 10.3%, North America 7.6% and from Latin America (not Mexico) and the Caribbean came 3%.
WTEx lists the following as the highest dollar value in SA’s imports in 2017; also shown is the percentage share each category represents in terms of overall imports: mineral fuels including oil: $12.3bn (14.7% of total imports); machinery including computers: $11bn (13.2%); electrical machinery, equipment: $8.5bn (10.2%); vehicles: $7.1bn (8.5%); plastics, plastic articles: $2.5bn (3%); pharmaceuticals: $2.2bn (2.7%); optical, technical, medical apparatus: $2.1bn (2.6%); other chemical goods: $1.6bn (1.9%); organic chemicals: $1.3bn (1.6%); inorganic chemicals: $1.2bn (1.5%).