South Africa secures Chinese market access for stone fruits

South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, signed a trade protocol in Shanghai with his Chinese counterpart Sun Meijun of the General Administration of Customs. The agreement allows for the first time the entry of five South African stone fruit varieties into the Chinese market.

The products covered by the deal include apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and prunes. It represents the first arrangement in which China grants access for multiple fruits from a single country under one unified framework.

Steenhuisen said the move marks a significant step forward for South African producers and exporters, strengthening agricultural diversification and reducing reliance on traditional markets.

“The opening of the Chinese market could unlock approximately 400 million rand [around US$22 million] for us over the next five years, a figure which is projected to double over the next ten years. We expect the inaugural 2025/26 export season to generate around 28 million rand [about US$1.5 million] and 54 million rand [US$3 million] in 2026/27,” the minister said in an official government statement.

During his visit, Steenhuisen also discussed the resumption of beef trade. He highlighted that Chinese infrastructure investments, within the Belt and Road Initiative, are already improving South Africa’s logistics systems, and emphasised that the bilateral relationship “has been strengthened over more than a decade,” with both sides committed to deepening agricultural and trade cooperation.

Photo: Mariia Klymenko / iStock