As the agriculture sector once again lifts its head as a notable driver of economic growth in South Africa (SA), we are pleased to announce that South Africa has gained market access for the exportation of fresh table grapes from the Republic of South Africa to the Philippines, says Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen. The market was opened on 26 February 2025, which means that producers can start exporting table grapes to the Philippines (an announcement will be made as and when the first consignment is ready for loading). The negotiations for this market started on 20 January 2015 and took about 10 years to get market access.

South Africa is considered one of the top global exporters of table grapes, ranking among the top five exporters worldwide. The table grape industry plays a major role in the SA economy by generating substantial foreign exchange earnings, creating employment opportunities, and contributing significantly to the growth of the agricultural sector. According to the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI), SA exports about 55% of table grapes to the European Union (EU) and 20% to the United Kingdom (UK). The 2022/23 table grape season concluded with a total of 63 million cartons exported, and the industry employed about 86,870 seasonal workers and 14,843 permanent workers during the 2022/23 table grape season. The opening of this new market will assist in advancing the empowerment plan of the department as it relates to the participation of Black farmers in the export markets.

“Expanding agricultural markets can lead to increased production and exports, boosting the sector’s contribution to our country’s Gross Domestic Product,” says Minister Steenhuisen. Just yesterday, Data released by Statistics South Africa showed that our economy expanded by 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2024 with agriculture being one of the sectors that primarily drove this growth with better performance in livestock, some field crops, and fruits.

Fresh table grapes exported from SA to the Philippines must meet all applicable phytosanitary and food safety requirements as listed in the final phytosanitary import conditions for the export of fresh table grapes from SA to the Philippines. Exporters, production units, and packhouses that are interested in this lucrative market must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to obtain a DALRRD allocated production unit code (PUC) and packhouse code (PHC). Growers of registered production units must implement good agricultural practices (GAP), which must include orchard sanitation, the use of integrated pest management (IPM), or adequate control measures to ensure that the Philippines’ identified quarantine pests of fresh table grapes are eliminated during the production period.

It is pivotal that producers comply with the phytosanitary import conditions for the export of fresh table grapes from SA to the Philippines in order to safeguard this market as it took a very long time (10 years) to negotiate and obtain market access.

The final phytosanitary import conditions for the export of fresh table grapes from SA to the Philippines are obtainable from the DALRRD website:

For media enquiries:
Joylene van Wyk
Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson
Tel.: 083 292 7399
Email: [email protected]