The National Department of Agriculture has announced the opening of a new export market for South African table grapes to the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The Department says negotiaions for this market started over 20 years ago, and the first consignment is being prepared after the ROK notified South Africa that they had opened the market on 23 January 2026.

It follows a physical field verification visit which was initiated a year ago, in February 2025, in South Africa. This field verification visit led to the conclusion of the ROK’s phytosanitary import requirements.

South Africa ranks among the top five global table grape exporters. The table grape industry plays a major role in the SA economy to generate substantial foreign exchange earnings, create employment opportunities, and contribute 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 2025/26 South African table grape season is progressing well, with an estimated 79,4 million 4,5 kg cartons for export, marking a 0,6% increase from the 2024/25 season.

The Agriculture Department has recently seen a number of markets in Asia open up to South African produce.

In October 2025, the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, and his counterpart, Minister Sun Meijun of China’s General Administration of Customs, signed a historic stone fruit trade protocol in Shanghai, China.

The agreement opened the Chinese market for the first time to five types of South African stone fruit, namely apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and prunes. It was also the first instance where China has negotiated access for multiple stone fruit types from a single country under one deal.

Steenhuisen said the opening of the Chinese market could unlock approximately R400 million for South Africa over the next five years, a figure which is projected to double over the next ten years.

In November 2025, South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam which has secured a strengthened partnership and unlocking new opportunities for South African producers in one of Asia’s fastest-growing markets.

Vietnam first opened its market to South African oranges in May 2024 after the successful conclusion of a bilateral protocol. This MoU is designed to accelerate this growth by strengthening cooperation and fast-tracking market penetration.