CAPE TOWN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has secured access to China for its cherry exports for the first time, in a deal that could spur investment and create jobs in the domestic industry, the Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the department, Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp and Sun Meijun, head of China's General Administration of Customs, signed a protocol opening the Chinese market to South African cherries at the ninth Sanitary and Phytosanitary Ministerial Meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.
The department said the agreement could bring "huge economic benefits" for South Africa, with China being the world's number one importer of cherries. China imported about 586,900 tons of cherries in 2025, valued at 3.3 billion U.S. dollars, according to the statement.
In the statement, Aucamp praised China's role in advancing two-way agricultural trade and thanked it for speeding up South Africa's requests for market access.
"We truly appreciate China's efforts to speed up our market access requests for South African agriculture products," Aucamp was quoted as saying. "This achievement is record-breaking as it is the first time that two market access protocols have been signed with China within a year."
The opening of the Chinese market is expected to stimulate investment in cherry production and create about 600 new jobs, in line with the government's priorities of inclusive economic growth and job creation, the department said.
The agreement forms part of efforts to broaden agricultural trade between South Africa and China under a framework that provides zero-tariff market access to Chinese markets, according to the statement.
Aucamp added that negotiations to secure access for South African blueberries were at an advanced stage. China has submitted a draft protocol for blueberry imports, and South Africa aims to finalize the agreement before the end of the year, the statement said. ■
