South Africa has secured unprecedented access to China’s vast fruit market for five types of stone fruit, marking the first time Beijing has granted multi-fruit entry under a single trade protocol to any country.
The landmark agreement, signed Wednesday in Shanghai by South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and China’s General Administration of Customs Minister Sun Meijun, opens the Chinese market to South African apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and prunes.
“This is a major breakthrough for South African fruit producers and exporters at a time when diversification is essential for our agricultural resilience,” Steenhuisen said at the signing ceremony.
He noted that the deal aligned with South Africa’s strategy to reduce reliance on traditional export markets and respond to shifting global consumption patterns, particularly China’s expanding middle class.
The protocol is expected to unlock R400 million in export value over the next five years, with projections doubling that figure by 2035.
The inaugural 2025/26 season could generate R28 million, rising to R54 million in 2026/27. Steenhuisen noted that China’s stone fruit imports – over 21 million cartons of peaches and nectarines and 20 million cartons of plums last year – already exceed South Africa’s total seasonal output.
The agreement is also poised to boost job creation, with estimates suggesting 350 new direct jobs on farms and in packhouses, and up to 600 additional jobs in related sectors such as transport and packaging.
Steenhuisen used the occasion to raise the resumption of beef exports from select South African regions and reviewed progress on foot-and-mouth disease regionalisation.
He also invited a Chinese technical team to inspect South Africa’s cherry and blueberry orchards, potentially paving the way for future market access.
JN/APA