South African cherry producers have gained access to one of the world’s largest cherry markets, opening a new opportunity for the industry to build exports and establish a presence among Chinese consumers.
Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing welcomes the signing of a new protocol granting South African cherry producers access to the Chinese market for the first time.
The protocol was signed by South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, Wille Aucamp, and Sun Meijun of the General Administration of Chinese Customs (GACC) in Beijing on 8 September 2026 during the 9th Sanitary and Phytosanitary Ministerial Meeting.
The opening of the market is particularly significant given the scale of Chinese demand. China imported approximately 586,900 tonnes of cherries in 2025, valued at US$3.3 billion, making it the world’s largest cherry import market. The South African Department of Agriculture expects the new access to stimulate further investment in cherry production and create about 600 new jobs.
“We welcome this development wholeheartedly because it creates another market opportunity for South African cherries,” says Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing.
“There is clearly strong demand for cherries in China, and the market presents an exciting opportunity for South African growers, particularly because our season gives us the potential to supply fruit early, before Chilean volumes reach the market in significant quantities.”
Size presents a challenge – but quality can set South Africa apart
The biggest immediate challenge for exporters is likely to be fruit size. Chinese consumers have a strong preference for larger cherries, with fruit of 28mm and above commanding particular interest, says Johan Brink, sales director at Tru-Cape.
However, size will not be the only consideration for Tru-Cape.
South African cherries have an important advantage in eating quality, and the company believes this can help create a point of differentiation as it enters the Chinese market.
“While size is undoubtedly important in China, we believe South African eating quality can count strongly in our favour,” says Lawrence Killian, Tru-Cape’s marketing manager for the Far East. “South African fresh produce is already associated with quality among Chinese buyers. That gives us a platform from which to introduce our cherries to the market.”
Early-season opportunity
The timing of South Africa’s cherry season could provide another advantage.
South African cherries are expected to enter the market from around week 44, while Chilean production typically commences from around week 49. This creates a potential early-season window in which South African fruit can reach Chinese consumers before larger volumes from Chile arrive.
“Although we don’t initially anticipate large volumes to be exported to China, we do see a real opportunity in that short, early window,” says Killian. “China is a major cherry-consuming market, and the larger fruit is often purchased as gifts, which explains the premium attached to bigger sizes. But being able to arrive early gives us another potential point of difference.”
Market timing will be critical. While larger fruit delivered early in the season can attract a premium, prices are likely to come under pressure once significant Chilean volumes enter the market.
Discussions with Chinese customers taking place
Tru-Cape intends to explore the opportunity during the coming season, with discussions already under way with potential Chinese customers. Given the importance of getting fruit into the market quickly, the company expects that initial consignments will be transported by air rather than sea.
“It makes more sense for us to export the cherries via airfreight,” says Brink. “Shipping introduces a greater risk that we could miss that early market opportunity.”
Currently, around 80% of Tru-Cape’s cherries are sold domestically, with approximately 20% exported, mainly to Middle Eastern markets. China, therefore, represents a significant opportunity to diversify the company’s export markets.
For Tru-Cape, the objective will be to identify the right combination of size, timing, eating quality and price to build a sustainable position in China.
“It is about understanding what Chinese consumers want and identifying where South African cherries can compete successfully. Size is a challenge, but it is not the whole story. Our eating quality, the reputation of South African produce, and our early-season timing all give us reasons to be optimistic,” says Pienaar.
