China prepares to open market to South African cherries — TimesLIVE
South Africa is preparing to export cherries to China for the first time, but Beijing must confirm compliance with all necessary requirements before the first shipment is sent. As TimesLIVE reports, China has also introduced zero tariffs for certain South African goods that meet the conditions of this scheme.
Ridge Cherry Farms CEO Geert Estes has been preparing to enter the Chinese market for more than 12 years. His 125-hectare farm is located near Rustenburg. The operation currently produces about 600 tonnes of cherries and ultimately plans to increase volumes to 2,000 tonnes.
Betting on an early harvest
China is the world's largest consumer and importer of cherries, purchasing nearly 600,000 tonnes a year. The largest suppliers to the Chinese market are Chile and Argentina. South Africa's share of global cherry volumes is only 0.2%, so local producers expect to compete not through scale but through delivery timing.
Karien Bezuidenhout, alternative crops manager at the Hortgro association, said that exports in September or early October could allow South African cherries to reach China before Chilean ones. According to her, shipping 1,000 tonnes in October could change producers' business model and create opportunities for expansion.
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Searching for new markets
South Africa is seeking to diversify its export destinations amid strained relations with the United States and uncertainty over its participation in the US trade programme, the African Growth and Opportunity Act. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country should prepare for possible exclusion from the programme, which provides eligible African countries with broad duty-free access to the US market.
Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp stressed that entering the Chinese market is not directed against the United States but is intended to support the development of the agricultural sector. Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, said that South Africa exports agricultural products worth about $15 billion annually, while China purchases around $200 billion worth of such products overall.
Aucamp expects China to confirm that South Africa meets all requirements by the end of the year. Estes is already preparing to quadruple, if necessary, the current seasonal workforce of about 300 employees.
