Representatives of Russian, South African meat business intend to expand cooperation through direct ties - Agroexport

MOSCOW. Oct 15 (Interfax) - Russian meat producers and representatives of the South African meat processing industry intend to expand cooperation and trade on the basis of direct ties.

An agreement on establishing and expanding direct contacts was reached at a meeting with the director general of the South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA), Ingrid Louw, the Agroexport federal center said following a business mission of Russian exporters of agricultural products to South Africa.

Promising areas of cooperation between Russian meat producers and South African meat processing enterprises were discussed at the meeting, along with in-demand categories of meat products and raw materials for processing, veterinary requirements and interaction with relevant departments and industry associations of South Africa.

One of the results of the mission was an agreement on forming a roadmap to intensify the Russian-South African agricultural and economic agenda, Agroexport said. The document will serve as the basis for coordinating further work on developing industry interaction.

"South Africa is one of the large importers of agricultural products on the African continent and an important partner of Russia within BRICS. Wheat is currently the basis of our agricultural exports to this country, but we can offer South African consumers a wide range of products from other agricultural sectors as well. We also see significant opportunities for cooperation in the field of agricultural technology and in personnel training. To unlock the potential, it is necessary to establish sustainable ties between the two countries' businesses," the head of Agroexport, Ilya Ilyushin, was quoted as saying.

As reported, according to Agroexport's information, Russia supplied South Africa with around 230,000 tonnes of agricultural products worth more than $54 million in 9M 2026.