Official commencement follows the signing of a bilateral trade agreement granting South African produce duty-free access into the Chinese market
South Africa has marked a significant milestone in agricultural trade, sending the first shipment of stonefruit to China this week, following the signing of a bilateral trade agreement that grants South African produce duty-free access into the Chinese market.
On 18 February, South African minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, and China’s ambassador Wu Peng visited the Freshness First Packhouse in Franschhoek where the first shipment of stonefruit was prepared for export to China.
The consignment included approximately 20,000 cartons of premium plums, primarily consisting of the African Delight and Ruby Star varieties and marks the official commencement of the stone fruit trade protocol, a move set to transform the local deciduous fruit industry.
Speaking at the event, Steenhuisen highlighted the necessity of the Chinese market for South Africa’s economic growth.
“Today, the Chinese market is a strategic necessity, not merely an opportunity for South Africa’s agricultural resilience,” he said.
“This is a milestone that ambassador Peng and I have worked toward together, and today I am happy that we have realised it.”
Steenhuisen noted the shipment followed the signing of a bilateral trade agreement granting South African produce duty free access into the Chinese market, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of local growers on the global stage.
Diversification and economic growth
South Africa currently holds a modest 0.4 per cent market share of China’s approximate US$200bn agricultural imports. The country aims to drastically increase this figure, targeting a doubling of the current R400mn (US$24.7mn) export value over the next four years.
“South Africa does have the capacity to provide the quality and quantity of fruit that consumers in China will enjoy,” Steenhuisen said. “The implementation of this stone fruit protocol will offset the immediate impact of tariffs imposed by other trading partners, particularly on plums. I am confident that our volumes into the Chinese market are going to increase tremendously.”
The stonefruit shipment is the first phase of a broader expansion strategy. Steenhuisen confirmed that the government is in the final stages of concluding the protocol for cherries, and later in the year, the protocol for blueberries.
