Agriculture Minister Wille Aucamp has signed a landmark protocol opening the Chinese market to South African cherry exports for the first time.
South African cherry producers have secured access to the lucrative Chinese market for the first time, opening the door to billions of rand in export opportunities and an estimated 600 new jobs in the local agricultural sector.
Agriculture Minister Wille Aucamp signed the market access protocol with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) Minister Sun Meijun during the 9th Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Ministerial Meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.
The agreement gives South African cherry producers access to the world’s biggest cherry-importing market, with China having imported about 586,900 tonnes of cherries worth US$3.3 billion, approximately R52.8 billion, in 2025.
“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.
