This paper involved the determination and analysis of trade potential for the South African pulp and paper industry using a gravity model approach. The pulp and paper sector was identified by the Department of Trade and Industry amongst four other lead sectors to enhance economic growth through the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA). This paper identifies South Africa's export destinations for its pulp and paper products that will enable the country to fully utilize its trade potential. The paper concludes by listing all the countries that should be of high priority for South Africa's trade analysts and policy makers in determining how resources should be reallocated in order to utilize export growth.
About the authors:
Adele Breytenbach is an Economics Masters student at the University of Pretoria. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Statistics as well as her Honours degree in Econometrics at the University of Pretoria, both attained with Cum Laude. She started working for Economic Trend SA (ETSA) in 2010, after working as a researcher at the Investment and Trade Policy Centre (ITPC) in 2008/9 and as an Economic Tutor and Assistant lecturer in 2009 at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Economics. Adele is also a member of the international Golden Key Honorary Society.
André C Jordaan is an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Pretoria. He is an expert in Development Economics, Macroeconomics and International Economics. Professor Jordaan is a member of the Virtual Institute at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA). His areas of research include International Trade, Sectoral Trade Analysis and Gravity models.