SA’s agricultural exports surge by 10% in Q1

In a year where trade has dominated the headlines since the US started imposing higher tariffs against its trading partners, agricultural export activity is worth paying close attention to.

Encouragingly, the start of the year has remained positive for the sector.

In the first quarter of 2025, SA’s agricultural exports totalled $3.36bn (R59.5bn), up 10% from the same period a year ago, according to data from Trade Map.

This is a function of both higher volumes of various product exports and better commodity prices.

The products that dominated the exports list in the first quarter were mainly grapes, maize, apples, pears, apricots, cherries, peaches, wine, wool, fruit juices, nuts, dates, avocados, pineapples, and beef, among other products.

While the ports remain a challenge and require further improvement and investment, the agricultural export season in the first quarter experienced less friction than in the recent past.

From a regional perspective, the African continent maintained the lion’s share of SA’s agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2025, accounting for 45% of the total value.

The products leading the exports list in the African continent were maize, maize meal, sugar, apples and pears, fruit juices, wine, soybean oil, sunflower oil, oilcake, and wheat, among other products.

The EU was SA’s second-largest agricultural market, accounting for a 23% share.

Grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, wine, apples, pears, wool, dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, mangos, guavas, fruit juices, and nuts were among the primary agricultural products SA exported to the EU in the first quarter of 2025.

As a collective, Asia and the Middle East were the third largest agricultural markets, accounting for 16% of the total agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2025.

The exports to this region primarily included apples, pears, grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, citrus, strawberries, nuts, beef, lamb and wool, among other products.

The Americas region accounted for 6% of SA’s agricultural exports in the first quarter of the year.

The main exported products include grapes, apricots, cherries, wine, fruit juices, nuts, apples, pears, and citrus.

Given ongoing concerns about SA’s participation in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) trade arrangement and the current higher tariffs imposed by the US, it is worth highlighting that SA’s agricultural exports to the US were still 4% in the first quarter of 2025 (which is part of the 6% of exports to the Americas region mentioned above).

The rest of the world, including the UK, accounted for 10% of SA agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2025.

SA does not engage in one-way trade. The country imports various agricultural products.

In the first quarter of 2025, SA’s agricultural imports totalled $1.94bn (R34bn), a 19% increase year-over-year, according to data from Trade Map.

The increase resulted from higher value and volume of major products SA imports, such as wheat, palm oil, rice, poultry, and whiskies.

As we have argued before, SA lacks favourable climatic conditions for growing rice and palm oil and thus relies on imports of these products.

Regarding wheat, SA imports nearly half of the annual consumption.

Meanwhile, imports account for about 20% of the annual domestic poultry consumption.

Given the current ban on Brazil’s poultry imports, we may see an increase in volume from other regions, or a recovery in domestic production, as the local producers indicate.

Subsequently, when we account for the exports and imports, SA’s agriculture sector recorded a trade surplus of $1.42bn (R25bn) in the first quarter of 2025, down 1% from the previous year.

In the current environment of heightened geoeconomic tensions, SA’s export-orientated agricultural sector must work to maintain its current export markets and expand into new ones.

The focus for both policymakers and agribusinesses and organised agriculture should be on the following aspects:

First, SA should maintain its focus on improving logistical efficiency.

This entails investments in port and rail infrastructure, as well as improving roads in farming towns.

Second, SA must work diligently to maintain its existing markets in the EU, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Lastly, SA should expand market access to some key Brics countries, such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

Wandile Sihlobo is the chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of SA.