Written by Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist at Agbiz
South Africa’s agricultural exports have had an excellent start to 2026, although the global trade environment and domestic logistical challenges continue to put pressure on the sector.
In the first quarter of 2026, South Africa’s agricultural exports totalled US$3.7 billion, up 11% from the same period a year ago. This is a function of both higher export volumes of various products and better commodity prices.
The products that dominated the exports list in the first quarter were mainly grapes, apples and pears, maize, wine, apricots, cherries, peaches, sugar, wool, fruit juices, nuts, dates, avocados, pineapples, guavas, mangos, and soybean, among other products.
While the ports’ efficiency has improved following recent challenges, we still observed issues at the Port of Cape Town during the first quarter. The Port of Cape Town experienced delays in its agricultural activities at the end of 2025 and into 2026. This was a peak export period for the table grapes industry.
It was also at a time when the industry had an ample harvest. Some growers and exporters had to move the volume of the crop they would typically export through the Port of Cape Town to the Eastern Cape ports.
From a regional perspective, the African continent accounted for the lion’s share of South Africa’s agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2026, at 44% of the total value. The products leading the export list in the African continent were maize, apples and pears, soybean, sugar, fruit juices, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and wine, amongst others.
The EU was South Africa’s second-largest agricultural market, accounting for 26% of the market share. Grapes, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, wine, apples and pears, dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangos, fruit juices, sugar, nuts, and citrus juices were amongst the primary agricultural products South Africa exported to the EU in the first quarter of 2026.
As a collective, Asia and the Middle East were the third-largest agricultural markets, accounting for 14% of the total agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2026. The exports to this region primarily included apples and pears, wool, grapes, citrus, apricots, cherries, peaches, beef, mutton, berries, and wine, among other products.
The Americas region accounted for 4% of South Africa’s agricultural exports in the first quarter of the year. The main exported products include grapes, wine, nuts, sugar, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, and fruit juices.
The rest of the world, including the United Kingdom, accounted for 12% of South African agricultural exports in the first quarter of 2026.
South Africa does not engage in one-way trade. The country imports various agricultural products. In the first quarter of 2026, South Africa’s agricultural imports totalled US$1.9 billion, a 4% increase year-over-year decline. The decrease resulted from lower volume and prices of major products South Africa imports, such as wheat, palm oil, rice, poultry, and whiskies.
Subsequently, when we account for the exports and imports, South Africa’s agriculture sector recorded a trade surplus of US$1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up 30% year-on-year.
The article first appeared on AgriView. Watch the video and find the original here.
Photo: Giovanni Lombardi on Pexels
