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Transcript/ScriptSOUTH AFRICA CITRUS AGOA
HEADLINE: South Africa’s Agricultural Business Chamber Calls for Early Renewal of AGOA
TEASER: Says farmers battling dysfunction at state-owned railways, ports and energy companies need assistance
PUBLISHED AT: 12/10/2023 at 6:55 pm
BYLINE: Vicky Stark
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Cape Town
VIDEOGRAPHER: Vicky Stark
VIDEO EDITOR: Vicky Stark
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Salwa Jaafari
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT: 2:38
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO
EDITOR NOTES: All SOTs have been introduced so it works for radio.))
((INTRO))
[[South Africa’s Agricultural Business Chamber is calling for the early renewal of the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act, known as AGOA. The act allows some products from certain sub-Saharan countries duty-free access to the United States. Vicky Stark reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
Here at Kunje Farm’s packhouse in the Western Cape province, Tsieane Kutlwano knows he’s lucky to have a job in the citrus industry.
He started living and working here after he ran out of funds to complete his studies in human resources management.
So now, come payday, Kutlwano sends money home for his son’s education.
((Tsieane Kutlwano, Pallet Label Printer)) ((Male, in English))
“I want to work hard, I mean like — harder so that he can have a bright future. He can, he can, he can do, build his life the way he wants ((stet)) to build it because mostly some of us, we didn't have a choice.”
((NARRATOR))
The independent Agricultural Business Chamber’s CEO Theo Boshoff says jobs like Tsieane’s are available thanks to the duty-free access to the U.S. market provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA.
((Theo Boshoff, Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa CEO)) ((Male, in English)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“More than half of our sector’s GDP in value terms gets exported. In the horticultural sector it’s significantly more than that. It’s upwards of 70% that gets exported.”
((NARRATOR))
He says South Africa’s citrus exports to the U.S. is an AGOA success story.
((Theo Boshoff, Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa CEO)) ((Male, in English)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“So, we are, on the back of certain trade agreements such as AGOA, such as the partnership agreement with the EU, we have seen massive plantings in the last 10-years many of those trees and orchards have not borne, given fruit so there are additional volumes coming.”
((NARRATOR))
Boshoff says this translates into jobs. South Africa, with a population of over 60 million people has an official unemployment rate of over 30%.
He says 1.4 million people are currently employed in the primary and secondary agricultural sectors.
((Theo Boshoff, Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa CEO)) ((Male, in English)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“Within agriculture if you look at the industries such as the horticultural sector, the sugar industry, the wine industry where that accounts, you know, for more than half of agricultural employment. These are also the critical sectors that export, especially to the U.S.”
((NARRATOR))
The agricultural chamber has stressed the importance of AGOA for South Africa’s rural communities. And asked the U.S. government to renew the act well before the September 2025 deadline. It says this will give more certainty to buyers and investors.
The agricultural chamber says South Africa exports roughly $12.8 billion worth of agricultural and agro-processed products annually.
((Vicky Stark, VOA News, Cape Town, South Africa))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Cape Town, South Africa
Embargo DateDecember 10, 2023 19:17 EST
Byline
((Vicky Stark, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
