China has granted South Africa access to its cherry market, allowing it to participate in a sector where its imports reached the equivalent of nearly R53bn last year.The protocol signed by agriculture minister Willie Aucamp and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Tuesday marks the second time this year the Asian country has made a market access concession to this fellow Brics member, after implementing a zero-tariff policy for 20 more African countries, including South Africa, in May.China is the world’s largest importer of cherries, buying about 586,900 tonnes of the fruit worth $3.3bn (R52.8bn) in 2025.“There is more to come between South Africa and China now that the negotiations to grant market access for South African blueberries to China are at an advanced stage,” Aucamp said.“We truly appreciate China’s efforts to speed up our market access requests for South African agriculture products.”Cherry production in the country reached a record 3,006 tonnes in 2025, with most of the output — about 61% — coming from the Western Cape, while Gauteng and the North West accounted for about 28%.Data shows the sector has expanded rapidly, with plantings rising to 819 hectares in 2024 from 185ha in 2012, as stone fruit growers looked to maximise returns and broaden their market offering.The exports to China will enhance that country’s position as South Africa’s largest single trading partner. According to the department of trade, industry & competition, bilateral trade increased by 33% to $34bn in 2023 from $26bn in 2019.The zero-tariff regime, which began in May and will run to April 30 2028 allows South Africa to expand its traditional export base of raw materials and commodities to China to include fruit, vegetables, wine and other agricultural products.South Africa is on a drive to explore alternative export markets and expand existing ones in the face of increasing protectionism from countries such as the US, which has also slapped punitive tariffs on it over political differences.Last week US President Donald Trump signed a law extending duty-free access to qualifying nations under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) to 2028, but this falls far short of the 15 years South Africa was pushing for.It is also not yet clear whether the country will remain a beneficiary of the trade pact. The office of the US trade representative formally launched the 2027 eligibility review in June, and the list could be revised before the next determination takes effect on January 1 2027.Last month another Brics member, India, finally agreed to include additional treatment options for fresh citrus fruit from South Africa, potentially opening up a market of nearly 1.5-billion people in a deal that had been nearly 10 years in the making. This was a big step forward for an industry looking to grow its market in countries such as India and China and reduce its reliance on Europe, which takes in about 36% of South Africa’s citrus but imposes what local producers call “unnecessary and unscientific plant health requirements”. Business Day