Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp has signed a landmark protocol that grants South African cherry producers access to the Chinese market for the first time.
China is the world's largest importer of cherries, having imported a total 586 900 t of cherries valued at $3.3-billion, or R52.8-billion, in 2025.
Aucamp signed the protocol alongside General Administration of Chinese Customs Minister Sun Meijun at the ninth Sanitary and Phytosanitary Ministerial Meeting in Beijing.
"We truly appreciate China's efforts to speed up our market access requests for South African agriculture products," Aucamp states, referring in particular to broadened trade under the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development that gives South Africa 0% tariff market access in China.
In referring to more frameworks that may be finalised, Aucamp says there is more to come between South Africa and China now that negotiations to grant market access for South African blueberries to China are at an advanced stage.
