Putting Partnerships into Practice. 2020 edition

Putting Partnerships into Practice | 2020 edition

The EPA with the Southern African Development Community ESWATINI Baby vegetable exports help alleviate poverty

When trade policy and development cooperation go hand in hand, the local economy benefits. A good example is Eswatini’s growing baby vegetable exports to the EU. Free market access under the EU–Southern African Development Community (SADC) EPA and EU-funded technical assistance to ensure the goods comply with high EU food safety standards have been instrumental in getting exports off the ground. Baby vegetables are high-value crops and demand is increasing in the EU as well as in the SADC region,

especially in South Africa. This presents a unique opportunity for Eswatini, where such production is already known and practised. Currently, 1 500 small farmers (and their 700 family and seasonal workers) produce baby vegetables and export them to South Africa and to the EU via the National Agricultural Marketing Board. Demand for Eswatini’s baby vegetables is around 5 tonnes per year; and this trend is rising, translating into export earnings of around EUR 2.4 million.

Eswatini, as a landlocked country, currently mainly trades with South Africa (65 % of trade). The EU accounts for 3.5 % of direct exports, but a larger share is exported via South Africa. Eswatini is slowly diversifying its exports to the EU, with increasing exports of citrus fruit (+ EUR 3 million, up 72 % in 2018 compared to 2017), rum (+ EUR 4 million, up 435 % in 2018) and prepared or preserved fruits and nuts, including fruit juices (+ EUR 2 million, up 21 % in 2018).

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