The Chinese market will now receive five types of South African stone fruit, including apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and prunes.
This is after John Steenhuisen, the Minister of Agriculture, signed a historic stone fruit trade protocol with Sun Meijun, Minister of China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC), in Shanghai, China, this week.
It is also the first instance where China has negotiated access for multiple stone fruit types from a single country under one deal.
Steenhuisen said the protocol marks “a major breakthrough for South African fruit producers and exporters at a time when diversification is essential for our agricultural resilience.”
He also said the protocol is part of a broader strategy to make South African agriculture less dependent on traditional buyers and more responsive to new consumption patterns, such as China’s growing middle class which is driving demand for high-quality agricultural products.
The protocol is expected to off-set some immediate impact of the US tariffs, especially on plums.
“The opening of the Chinese market could unlock approximately R400 million for us over the next five years, a figure which is projected to double over the next ten years. We are of the view that the inaugural 2025/26 export season can generate approximately R28 million and R54 million in 2026/27” said Steenhuizen.
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