The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) have partnered to launch the Eastern Cape Natural Ingredients Export Promotion Strategy. Currently, the Eastern Cape province exports a range of natural ingredients with a total value of R4.2-million. The aim of the strategy is to increase this by 25%, to R5.25-million, over the next three years. As part of this, the aim is to access at least five new export markets and obtain at least 15 new product certifications. Further, the strategy would see more than 100 small, medium-sized and microenterprises, spread across the export value chain, receive advice and training.

“The strategy is designed to boost the export of natural ingredients from the Eastern Cape by identifying international opportunities, positioning local producers as global suppliers, and helping them overcome market access barriers,” explained ECDC trade promotion specialist Linda Lubengu. “The Eastern Cape’s natural ingredients include aloe ferox, honeybush, rosemary, hemp, rose geranium, artemisia afra, African sage, and honey, among others. Despite the province’s abundance of natural ingredients, the sector has not been sufficiently developed for export. We recognised the gap and partnered with SIPPO – which promotes natural ingredient and processed food imports from South Africa to Switzerland and the EU – to formulate a comprehensive export strategy. The first step is to map the existing landscape: which products are available, who is exporting, what markets they’re targeting, and what challenges they face.”

Apart from Switzerland and the EU, the strategy is targeting markets such as Canada and the US, the UK, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. In North America and Europe, the demand for sustainable and organic products continues to grow. In Asia, there is increasing consumer interest in health and wellness, which is creating strong opportunities for the sector. International trends are also creating opportunities in cosmetics.

“The Eastern Cape is home to a wealth of botanical resources with innovative applications across industries such as cosmetics, skincare, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and traditional medicine,” she highlighted. “Many of these plants are sustainably harvested from the wild and have transitioned into the formal economy, proving their value and quality on larger platforms.”    

The focus for the strategy for the current financial year is the execution of a province-wide mapping process to increase understanding of the requirements of producers, generate market intelligence, and assist them to become export-ready. Once this had all been done, the producers will receive support to promote their products in selected export markets.

The development of the strategy involves a number of different stakeholders. These include the national Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, various national export councils, the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, and the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism.