Export and domestic programmes allow for only a handful of companies to attend promotional events, as the average SMME cannot afford to without subsidies. Costs can run into hundreds of thousands of Rands for travel, accommodation, promotional material, stand building, etc. Our experience over almost 3 decades in export promotion – initially in defence, and since 2002 in fresh produce and agro-processing – has demonstrated that government and industry associations prefer inclusive promotional material that not only represent and promote the country, but also all the participating role-players who constitute these industries.

In their book Differentiate or Die, Jack Strout and Steve Rivkin assert that we are an over-communicated society, with too much information being projected at us. It’s what they call the “tyranny of choice” …and this was written thirty years before the advent of the internet. In contrast, these guides allow the merchant and international trader to focus on buyer choices without the noise of digital marketing, pop-ups and hundreds of page results in web searches. It introduces them to a level playing field and much bigger supplier base in a concise and clear visual manner. We invite merchants and traders to utilise these guides when evaluating South Africa’s agricultural produce quality, packaging, variety and appreciate the incredible value it represents internationally.

We thank the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry for their unconditional support in ensuring that these guides are distributed on both the domestic and international stage. They reach national pavilions, trade representatives at our high commissions and also visitors on inbound missions. Consequently, they reach thousands of merchants and traders and as such contribute to the success of our agri-related businesses.

Individually, we can achieve much, collectively we can achieve more.