The country has achieved its first successful sales in China, with sugar plums and interspecific varieties welcomed by the market
While logistical problems, currency fluctuations, uncertainty created by US tariff wars and the war in the Middle East have continued to mess up the 2026 season for the South African stonefruit industry, there are also rays of hope.
The new export protocol signed between South Africa and China has seen the first arrivals successfully sold.
Exporters have said that the first small volumes of sugar plums and interspecific stonefruit varieties, as well as some mainstream plum varieties, have been welcomed by the Chinese trade.
The first full container of South African stonefruit to China was packed by Freshness First Packhouse in Franschhoek last December.
Exporters also dispatched several air shipments to China, which arrived in ”excellent condition”.
“It is clear that the taste of our stonefruit, mainly plums, is what is preferred by Chinese consumers,” exporters commented.
While these shipments are only a small entry into the Chinese market, the industry feels it is an important step for South Africa.
At the time of signing the new accord, minister of agriculture John Steenhuisen said the implementation of the stonefruit trade protocol represented more than a commercial opportunity.
“Today, the Chinese market is a strategic necessity, not merely an opportunity for South Africa’s agricultural resilience,” he noted.
The signing of the new protocol follows a bilateral trade agreement, which could grant South African produce tariff free access to the Chinese market.
While certain aspects of this new agreement still have to be clarified, apple and pear growers said that tariff free entry will be a ”great boost” for their sales in China.
On the other side of the world, where president Donald Trump’s tariff spree has been halted by the US Supreme Court, the new tariff of 10 per cent instead of 30 per cent will also be a boost for the South African stonefruit industry.
In recent years a good foundation has been laid for an extended sales programme based on varieties supplied in the off-season, but well-known South African-grown varieties were ready for take-off when the Trump tariffs were announced.
“Most of our fruit arrived in the 30 per cent tariff window and we are now hoping that we will receive refunds,” said one exporter.
“We remain very positive about our future sales in the United States provided we can keep tariff interventions out of the picture.”
