Noting low volumes of bilateral trade between South Africa and Peru, South African ambassador to Peru Elsa Dry has committed to enhancing trade opportunities between the two countries, describing the South American State  as a strategic gateway to other members of the Andean Community of Nations, namely Bolivia and Ecuador and the Pacific Alliance countries, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

Addressing a South Africa–Peru Business Seminar in Lima, Dry said bilateral trade between South Africa and Peru totalled just under R600-million in 2014.

“The volume of trade between Peru and South Africa remains low but, owing to Peru’s prominent role within the region, there is lot of [room] for improved growth.

“Peru’s focus has shifted and is becoming increasingly important for South Africa for a variety of reasons but mainly owing to the fact that Peru is an important entry point into Latin America, especially the Andean countries and the Pacific Alliance,” she told the seminar, which formed part of an outward trade and investment mission organised by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and hosted by the Lima Chamber of Commerce.

Demonstrating its trade promotion intent, Dry added that Peru had appointed an economic and trade attaché, as well as a defence attaché, in South Africa in the past two years and was in the process of opening more diplomatic missions in Africa, thereby expanding its footprint on the continent. 

“All of these and other initiatives that the country is undertaking to increase its presence and importance in South Africa and Africa means that our businesspeople need to take advantage of the opportunities availed by these efforts and work towards increasing bilateral trade between the two countries,” she commented.

According to Dry, the South African embassy in Lima, in partnership with the DTI, had over the past three years, implemented various initiatives aimed at enhancing economic relations and increasing trade between the two countries.

These include a DTI scoping mission to Peru, hosting a tourism destination training event for Peruvian travel agents in South Africa, setting up a South African pavilion at Perumin – a popular mining convention – hosting the South African Culinary week in Lima two years in succession and undertaking the first trade mission to Peru last year.

She further expressed confidence that the South African businesspeople would use the platform provided by the mission to investigate possible linkages with the Peruvian economy.