South Africa races against time as citrus tariff deadline nears

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s citrus industry faces serious pressure as the clock ticks toward a steep hike in tariffs on fruit exports to the United States.

However, Boitshoko Ntshabele, chief executive of the Citrus Growers Association (CGA), believes that growers and government working side by side can help the country push through and even create new trade openings.

“In the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of traversing the citrus-producing regions of our country to meet citrus growers,” said Ntshabele. “It has been truly enlightening to meet men and women who dedicate their lives to cultivating the world-class fruit we export.”

According to Ntshabele, most fruit shipped before early July will still fall under the lower 10 percent tariff, allowing growers to move much of their produce in time.

However, what happens after July remains uncertain. The US plans to raise tariffs to 30 percent, which could limit exports unless new terms are reached.

Market access still a key concern

Growers continue to worry about keeping access to high-value markets. “Among our growers, market access remains a topic of serious interest, as it should,” Ntshabele said. “The CGA remains focused on retaining existing markets and expanding into new territories.”

He stressed that the South African government is actively engaging US officials to argue for fair terms. “There is a clear argument to be made for the mutually beneficial nature of SA-US citrus exports,” Ntshabele noted.

Beyond the US, the EU has also drawn criticism for its measures on citrus black spot and false codling moth, which South Africa is currently challenging through the World Trade Organisation.

“There is immense promise with markets such as China, Japan and India, but in these markets unnecessary phytosanitary obstacles and high tariffs are holding back growth,” Ntshabele added.

“In early April the CGA travelled to India to address these issues, and we’ve just had a working visit to the Chinese Embassy, and more work is necessary to make these markets work for us.”

Avocados Make Inroads into China

While citrus faces tariff threats, South African avocados are gaining ground. The first shipments of the 2025 season have reached China, offering fresh hope for growers looking to reduce dependence on traditional markets.

“Our first containers were shipped on the Maersk Freeport and are due to be distributed by Mission Produce Inc’s global distribution network and particularly its partner in China, Mr Avocado,” said JJ Van der Spuy, commercial manager at Core Fruit.

Clive Garrett, marketing executive at ZZ2, noted that South Africa has a shipping advantage over Peru, its main competitor, as vessels take a week less to reach China.

“Due to ZZ2 being very early we took advantage of the relatively empty market in China and sent several containers to Mr Avocado,” Garrett said.

As South Africa aims to harvest and pack 22 million cartons of avocados this year, growers hope that new markets like China, India and Japan will offer greater stability as European markets continue to fluctuate.

“We now have more options,” Garrett added.

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