China signs import fruit agreement with South Africa

An historic trade agreement between China and South Africa was signed in Shanghai yesterday, 15 October, between South Africa and China that can unlock R400-million.

The agreement signed by Minister Sun Meijun of China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) and SA Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has now opened the Chinese market to five of South Africa’s stone fruit: apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and prunes.
The Chinese market can unlock about R400-million in the next five years, and with this figure projected to double within a decade. “We are of the view that the inaugural 2025/26 export season can generate approximately R28 million and R54 million in 2026/2,” Minister Steenhuisen said.
He also said for the next decade this protocol can create a market to support roughly 350 new direct jobs on farms and in packhouses, and close to 600 new jobs overall once linked industries such as transport and packaging are included.”
This is the first time China has granted market access for multiple stone fruit varieties from a single country under one deal. Speaking at the signing ceremony, the SA Minister described the agreement as “a major breakthrough for South African fruit producers and exporters at a time when diversification is essential for our agricultural resilience.”
China has been South Africa’s largest trading partner for more than a decade and bilateral trade is continuing to strengthen to further agreements between SA and China, according to the Minister. He said the protocol forms part of a broader strategy to reduce South Africa’s dependence on traditional export markets, and to unlock a vast new market with great potential that will offset some immediate impact of US tariffs, especially on plums.
China has been South Africa’s largest trading partner for more than a decade. China’s demand for peach and plum imports continues to grow and its ports last year exceeded 21 million cartons of peaches and nectarines and 20 million cartons of plums – exceeding South Africa’s entire seasonal export volume.
Steenhusien also said projections also indicate that exports to China are set to grow to 5% of South Africa’s total export volumes in 2032/2033. Plus the opening of the Chinese market will enable local producers to export more of their harvests at more sustainable prices. “Stronger demand in China, together with a slight reduction in exports to other markets, are expected to drive market growth. Over time, this improved demand and increased volumes can encourage further investment at farm level, particularly the establishment of new orchards.
During his discussions with Minister Meijun, Steenhuisen also raised the resumption of beef exports from certain South African regions and reviewed progress on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) regionalisation.
He invited a GACC technical team to visit South Africa to inspect the country’s cherry and blueberries orchards and packhouses during the current harvest season. This visit could possibly secure access of SA’s cherry market to China in the next harvest cycle, strengthening its trade ties and unlocking new export and job opportunities for the fruit sector. “This will also consolidate our positive momentum on broader fruit trade cooperation,” the SA Minister saod.
Minister Steenhusien also highlighted the impact of Chinese infrastructure investment in upgrading South Africa’s railways, ports, and highways, improving market access for farmers and boosting logistics efficiency. This work aligns with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which prioritises infrastructure investment across Africa.
He encouraged trading partners to make use of the world-class Shanghai Freight Services network to leverage its extensive global logistics network for sea and air freight, to ensure faster and more reliable delivery of SA’s agricultural exports to China.
“China has been South Africa’s largest trading partner for more than a decade, and our bilateral trade continues to deepen. We value China’s ongoing cooperation and the shared commitment to exploring opportunities within our agriculture sector and we look forward to building on this partnership through future agreements that benefit both our countries,” the the SA Minister added – Source: SAnews

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