South African agribusiness looks for international partners

South African agribusiness is looking for international partners in a bid to access global markets, the Business Day newspaper in Johannesburg reported on Tuesday. The newspaper quoted Francois Strydom, managing director of South African agribusiness firm Senwes, as saying the primary production and agribusiness sectors in South Africa are going through a consolidation phase while expanding into Africa. He said his group had earlier to decide whether to be part of the international flow of soft commodities to and from South Africa and Africa, or to "face the gradual slide into being an intermediate role-player." He said Senwes had started moving into East Africa, "albeit very carefully and cautiously." The group has a presence in Malawi, Zambia and the northern region of Mozambique, while there are plans to enter the Zimbabwean market too. "We expect the growth of primary production of soft commodities to continue moving north to more efficient areas of production, given that the political and legal frameworks in these regions allow for commercial transactions," he said.