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“The South African agricultural sector has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience in the face of significant global trade headwinds,” said agriculture minister John Steenhuisen. Recent data shows South Africa’s exports have not only remained competitive, but have increased in the second quarter of 2025 to US$161 million – up by 26% from the same period in 2024.
“It is important to examine this performance with a forward-looking perspective. The recent imposition of a 30% tariff on our exports by the United States (US) has brought to light the urgent need to diversify our export markets and enhance our competitiveness to mitigate the economic impact of losing preferential trade access.”
Minister Steenhuisen said the results of the second quarter of 2025 also highlight how urgent it is to resolve the ongoing tariff talks with the US. “Our capacity to gain steady, long-term access to this important market continues to be a top priority,” he added.
Double digit increases
In the first quarter of 2025, South African agricultural exports to the US were US$118 million, up by 19% year-on-year.
“This growth is not merely a statistical anomaly, but a reflection of a bountiful harvest, a surge in high-quality produce, and the efficient operation of our ports. The products leading this charge include a variety of fruits such as citrus, grapes, apples and pears, as well as nuts and wine. As we continue to engage in diplomatic negotiations and work towards a more favourable trade agreement, the focus remains on ensuring that our farmers and exporters can continue to thrive in the global marketplace, securing the future of our agricultural sector,” minister Steenhuisen emphasised.
It is, however, not only agricultural exports to the US that increased during the first half of the year, according to statistics released by the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz). In their publication called Agricultural Trade Digest, chief economist Wandile Sihlobo pointed out that South Africa’s agricultural exports totalled US$3.71 billion in the second quarter, up 10% from the same period a year ago. This is a function of both higher volumes of various product exports and better commodity prices.
Top performers
The products that dominated the exports list in the second quarter of the year, he pointed out, were mainly citrus, apples and pears, maize, wine, nuts, fruit juices, dates, pineapples, avocados, grapes, and wool.
Sihlobo also pointed out that, while there remains a need for further improvement in the efficiency of the ports, there has been a material improvement compared to recent years. Agricultural export activity in the second quarter experienced less friction than in the recent past.
Diverse export markets
Looking at the export destinations, he said the African continent maintained the lion’s share of South Africa’s agricultural exports in the second quarter of 2025, accounting for 40% of the total value. The products leading the exports list to the African continent were maize, maize meal, apples and pears, sugar, fruit juices, wheat, wine, soya bean oil, and sunflower oil.
The European Union (EU) was South Africa’s second-largest agricultural market, accounting for a 22% share. Citrus, apple and pears, dates, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangos, wine, grapes, and nuts were amongst the primary agricultural products South Africa exported to the EU in the second quarter of 2025.
As a collective, Asia and the Middle East were the third-largest agricultural markets, accounting for 21% of the total agricultural exports in the second quarter of 2025. The exports to this region primarily included citrus, apples and pears, nuts, wool, maize, beef, mutton, wine, berries, and fruit juices.
Exports to the US
The US accounted for 7% of South Africa’s agricultural exports in the second quarter of the year. The main exported products included citrus, fruit juices, wine, nuts, apricots, apples, pears, and grapes.
Given ongoing concerns about the higher tariffs South Africa faces in the US, he wrote, it is worth highlighting that some exporters may have taken advantage of the 90-day pause of the higher tariffs and exported more volume than usual during that period, accounting for the increase of 26%, at US$ 161 million in exports to the US in the second quarter.
The fact that South Africa generally had a large fruit harvest also contributed to this huge increase, which far surpassed the average typical quarterly growth in exports to the US, which is about 9%. “Also worth highlighting is that the rise underscores in a way the importance of the US market for some producers, while it remains somewhat smaller from a national perspective,” Sihlobo said. “South Africa’s agricultural exports to the US were still 4% in the second quarter of 2025, which is part of the 7% total exports to the Americas region.”
He emphasised that the 4% share of the US in overall South African agricultural exports is not a small value, as few specific industries are primarily involved in these agricultural exports. These were mainly citrus, grapes, wine, and fruit juices. Since the start of AGOA, the percentage share of South Africa’s agricultural exports to the US has remained at these levels. From now on, a great deal hinges on whether South Africa will succeed in securing favourable trade terms with the US. – Izak Hofmeyr, Plaas Media
