Agricultural exports lead the charge

Agriculture is leading the growth in South African exports. While traditional mineral and vehicle exports have been declining over the past five years (2021-2025), agricultural exports have been increasing. According to Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen, agriculture in the fourth quarter of 2025 accounted for 46% of SA export value, at R268.7 billion out of a total of R581.5bn. “While agricultural exports to the United States declined sharply by 36% in the fourth quarter of 2025 as a direct result of higher tariffs, our diversification strategy has clearly borne fruit. Strong growth to Brics+ countries, the United Kingdom, the European Union and SADC (Southern African Development Community) more than offset those losses,” Steenhuisen said in a statement. This reflects an international trend. According to the January 2026 global trade update of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, food products account for nearly 87% of commodity exports. South Africa’s strongest- performing agricultural exports in 2025 included table grapes, maize, berries, wine, citrus, apples and pears, sugar, nuts, fruit juices and wool. Stone fruits, such as apricots, cherries and peaches, also featured prominently amongst the export products. Africa is SA’s largest agricultural export destination, accounting for about 53% of exports, followed by Asia and the Middle East at 17%, the European Union at 16%, and 14% to the rest of the world, including North and South America. Among the fastest-growing markets in 2025 were the United Kingdom, with export growth of 21%, and Brics+ countries, which recorded a 31% increase, says Steenhuisen. Agriculture is now the fifth-largest export category, according to Trading Economics. Exports FN25M0184 It states that mineral products account for 24% of total exports, base metals and articles of base metal (9.3%), vehicles, aircraft and vessels (9.2%), machinery (6.8%), chemicals (6.2%) and vegetables (5.2%). Official statistics show that grape exports grew 36.8% year-on-year in 2024, avocados by 40.9%. Vehicle exports were on a decline prior to the Trump tariffs due to weaker European demand as the region shifts to electric propulsion. Volkswagen Group Africa’s managing director told Freight News that VW had already seen a decline of 20 000 Polo units from its Kariega plant to Europe due to the shift. ER