CAPE TOWN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has celebrated a "historic milestone" as its first shipment of stone fruit was set for export to China, marking the official commencement of exports under a newly implemented trade protocol.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to the statement, South African Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng, visited the Freshness First Packhouse in Franschhoek, near Cape Town, on Wednesday, from where about 20,000 cartons of premium plums were prepared to depart for China.
The dispatch marks the official start of the stone fruit trade protocol between the two countries and is expected to help transform South Africa's deciduous fruit industry, the ministry said.
Speaking at the event, Steenhuisen underscored the importance of opening the Chinese market, calling it "a fundamental necessity for South Africa's economic growth."
"Today, the Chinese market is a strategic necessity, not merely an opportunity for South Africa's agricultural resilience," he said. "This is a milestone that Ambassador Peng and I have worked toward together, and today I am happy that we have realized it."
The shipment follows the signing of a bilateral trade agreement last year granting South African produce tariff-free access to the Chinese market, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of local farmers, the statement said.
With China importing about 200 billion U.S. dollars in agricultural products annually, South Africa now accounts for about 0.4 percent of that market, according to the ministry. The country aims to double its current export value of 400 million rand (about 24.7 million dollars) over the next four years as part of efforts to diversify export markets and boost economic growth.
"South Africa does have the capacity to provide the quality and quantity of fruit that consumers in China will enjoy," Steenhuisen said. "The implementation of this stone fruit protocol will offset the immediate impact of tariffs imposed by other trading partners, particularly on plums. I am confident that our volumes into the Chinese market are going to increase tremendously."
The stone fruit shipment represents the first phase of a broader export expansion strategy, the statement said.
The ministry confirmed that it is in the final stages of concluding export protocols for cherries, with a blueberry protocol expected later this year.
Steenhuisen also thanked industry leaders, growers, and packhouse staff for meeting the stringent phytosanitary standards required for access to the Chinese market, the ministry added. ■
