South Africa has dispatched its first‑ever shipment of stone fruit to China in a major agricultural trade breakthrough and the official launch of a new bilateral export protocol.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng oversaw the preparation of the inaugural consignment at the Freshness First Packhouse in Franschhoek.
The shipment includes 20,000 cartons of premium plums, mainly African Delight and Ruby Star varieties.
The export follows the signing of an agreement granting South African fruit duty‑free access to China, a market that imports US$200 billion in agricultural products annually. South Africa currently accounts for just 0.4 percent of that market.
Steenhuisen said the opening of China’s market represents a strategic turning point for the country’s fruit industry.
“The Chinese market is a strategic necessity, not merely an opportunity for South Africa’s agricultural resilience,” he said, adding that the new protocol would help offset tariff pressures from other trading partners.
The South African government aims to double the current R400 million (about $25.3 million) export value to China within four years, with Steenhuisen expressing confidence that the country can meet both the quality and volume demanded by Chinese consumers.
He praised growers, industry bodies and packhouse workers for meeting China’s stringent phytosanitary requirements, calling their efforts “instrumental” in securing market access.
AP