South African avocados head to China as demand for the superfood soars

South Africa’s first shipment of the fruit will soon reach Shanghai, but exports may face tariff hurdles and competition from South America

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Resource-rich South Africa has become the third African avocado producer to gain access to the vast Chinese market. Photo: X/ @AmbWuPeng

Published: 8:00pm, 4 Oct 2024

South Africa’s first shipment of avocados is on its way to China, and Zimbabwe will soon become another supplier as Beijing turns to Africa to meet growing demand for the superfood.

Chinese ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng said the first shipment of 21,210kg (46,760lbs) of fresh South African avocados left Durban on September 14 and was set to arrive in Shanghai around Saturday.

“This marks the first shipment to China following the phytosanitary protocol signed last August, and is bound to boost bilateral trade,” Wu said earlier this week on X, formerly Twitter.

Wu was referring to an agreement reached on the sidelines of the 2023 Brics summit in Johannesburg stipulating the plant health requirements that South African avocado producers must meet to export to China.

In August, Chinese plant protection authorities gave final approval for South African avocado exports to China after the African nation met the strict requirements needed to reach Chinese consumers. This follows a visit by Chinese inspectors to South Africa in July for verification.

Resource-rich South Africa, which remains one of China’s most consequential trading partners on the continent, has become the third African avocado producer to gain access to the vast Chinese market, following Kenya and Tanzania.