South African cherry exporters have secured access to the Chinese market through a bilateral phytosanitary protocol.
South Africa’s Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp and China’s General Administration of Customs Minister Sun Meijun signed the protocol during the ninth Sanitary and Phytosanitary Ministerial Meeting in Beijing on September 8.
The agreement grants South African cherries access to China for the first time, the Department of Agriculture said.
“This achievement is record-breaking as it is the first time that two market access protocols have been signed with China within a year,” Aucamp said. “We truly appreciate China’s efforts to speed up our market access requests for South African agricultural products.”
The department said the protocol supports commitments made under the China-Africa Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development, which provides South Africa with 0% tariff access to the Chinese market.
China was the world’s largest cherry importer in 2025, importing about 586 900 tonnes valued at US$3.3 billion (R52.8 billion), according to the Department of Agriculture.
Aucamp also met Chinese fruit importers at the South Africa-China Fruit Trade Business Forum organised by Fruit South Africa.
The department said access to the Chinese market is expected to encourage further investment in local cherry production and support the creation of about 600 jobs.
Negotiations to secure Chinese market access for South African blueberries are also at an advanced stage. China has submitted a draft import protocol for consideration and Aucamp has asked officials to work towards finalising it before the end of the year.
