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The minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, last week announced that South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has opened its market to fresh table grapes from South Africa.
South Korea notified South African authorities on 23 January that the market had opened, meaning producers can begin exporting table grapes to the East Asian country. The first shipment is expected during the 2026/27 season.
This achievement marks a significant milestone for the industry and is the culmination of more than 20 years of constructive engagement and close collaboration between government and industry stakeholders.
New market welcomed
The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) said in a press release that it looks forward to shipping the first consignment during the 2026/27 season, once the remaining administrative and oversight processes have been finalised.
“We have been working consistently to expand market access opportunities for South African table grapes, and we are delighted with this positive development,” said SATI CEO, Mecia Petersen. “The South Korean market presents new opportunities for growers and exporters.”
“SATI remains firmly committed to supplying high-quality fruit that meets the requirements of global markets. With access now secured, we look forward to building a presence for South African table grapes in South Korea,” Petersen added.
SATI extends its sincere appreciation to the ministry of agriculture, the National Department of Agriculture (NDA), and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, including the South African Embassy in Seoul, and H.E. Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ, the ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to South Korea, for their continued commitment and support throughout this process. The dedication shown by all parties in strengthening trade relations between the two countries was instrumental in securing this important outcome.
Top producers
South Africa ranks among the top five global table grape exporters. The industry plays a major role in the local economy, generating substantial foreign exchange earnings, creating employment opportunities, and contributing significantly to agricultural growth.
According to SATI, approximately 55% of South Africa’s table grapes are exported to the European Union (EU) and 20% to the United Kingdom (UK). The 2025/26 season is progressing well, with an estimated 79,4 million 4,5kg cartons for export, marking a 0,6% increase from the 2024/25 season.
Twenty years in the making
Following consistent negotiations between technical teams from both South Korea and South Africa over the past two decades, a physical field verification visit was conducted in February last year. This field verification visit led to the conclusion of South Korea’s phytosanitary import requirements.
In a press release, the NDA stated that fresh table grapes exported from South Africa to South Korea must meet all applicable phytosanitary and food safety requirements as listed in the final phytosanitary import conditions for exports. Exporters, production units, and packhouses interested in this lucrative market must be registered with the NDA to obtain a production unit code (PUC) and packhouse code (PHC). Growers of registered units must implement good agricultural practices, including orchard sanitation, use of integrated pest management or adequate control measures to ensure that South Korea’s identified quarantine pests are eliminated during the production period.
To safeguard this market, producers must comply fully with the phytosanitary import conditions for the export of fresh table grapes. – Susan Marais, Plaas Media
The phytosanitary import conditions for table grapes exported from South Africa to South Korea are available from the NDA website: https://www.nda.gov.za/images/Branches/AgricProducHealthFoodSafety/PlantProduction Health/PlantHealth/export-from-sa/specialexportprotocols-prog-dir/
For technical information, contact Jan Hendrik Venter, director of Plant Health, on 012 319 6384 or email JanHendrikV@nda.gov.za
