Overview

• Signed in Shanghai by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and GACC Minister Sun Meijun, the protocol opens China to South African apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and prunes.
• China negotiated access for multiple stone fruit types from a single country under one agreement for the first time.
• The ministry projects about R28 million in export revenue in 2025/26 and R54 million in 2026/27, with roughly R400 million over five years and potential to double over ten, and says the access could help counter 30% US tariffs on exports such as plums.
• Officials estimate the market opening could support roughly 350 new direct jobs on farms and in packhouses and close to 600 jobs overall when related sectors are included.
• Operational follow-through includes a GACC inspection of cherry and blueberry sites during the current harvest that could enable cherry access next season, alongside ongoing talks on beef trade resumption and FMD regionalisation.