South Africa's agricultural exports boom

South Africa's agricultural exports have remained strong since the start of the year despite significant trade policy shifts and uncertainty.

- Wandile Sihlobo

The Green Italia left for Japan from the Durban port earlier this week, loaded with 3560 pallets of citrus. Photo: Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa

(Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa)

The cumulative value of agricultural exports for the first three quarters of the year is US$11.7 billion, representing a 10% increase from the corresponding period in 2024.

The exports have been strong every quarter. The latest data for the third quarter shows that South Africa's agricultural exports totalled US$4.7 billion, up 13% from the same period a year ago. This is due to higher volumes of various product exports and better commodity prices.

The products that dominated the exports list in the second quarter of the year were mainly citrus, nuts, apples, pears, maize, wine, sugar, fruit juices, berries, grapes, pineapples, avocados, and soybean, among others.

Although there remains a need for further improvement in port efficiency, we have witnessed a notable improvement compared to recent months. We observed a similar experience in the past two quarters. This has supported export activity and illustrates the gains from the ongoing policy reforms in the South African network industries.

From a regional perspective, the African continent maintained the lion's share of South Africa's agricultural exports in the third quarter of 2025, accounting for 34% of the total value.