South Africa’s agricultural exports reached a record high of $15.1 billion in 2025, demonstrating the sector’s resilience despite a noticeable decline in shipments to the United States during the second half of the year.
According to bloomberg, the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa attributed the 10% rise in shipments from the previous year to higher volumes and prices.
US tariffs on some goods curtailed exports by 11% in the third quarter and 39% in the final three months.
Higher corn, citrus, table grape and wine output helped drive exports and another jump is possible this year, with production volumes even more promising, Wandile Sihlobo, the chamber’s chief economist said in an interview. “We believe that in 2026, we will be able to get a clearer picture of the impact of all these tariffs,” he said in a seperate note.
While the US duties of as much as 30% on some agricultural goods impacted South Africa’s fruit and wine producers, some items such as oranges and macadamia nuts were later exempted, and producers and the government have been actively seeking new markets.
Agreements were signed last year with China to facilitate the export of more fruit to the Asian country. A partnership being negotiated between the countries could also see South African exports being duty free.
South Korea has also, as of Jan. 23, agreed to permit the import of South African table grapes after 20 years of negotiations, Sihlobo said.
Still, the most immediate gain has been in trade with the rest of Africa.
That region accounted for 53% of South Africa’s agricultural exports in the final quarter of the year, compared with 44% over the course of 2024. Seventeen percent of shipments went to Asia and the Middle East in the fourth quarter, 16% to the European Union and 4% to the Americas, including the US.
In total, South Africa exported $504 million of agricultural produce to the US last year, down 3%, from 2024.
The agricultural industry has been one of the few bright spots in South Africa’s economy, with 2025 representing the seventh consecutive annual increase in exports.
South Africa also imported $7.8 billion of agricultural goods in 2025, mainly in the form of rice, palm oil, poultry and wheat.
