The South African stone fruit industry is looking ahead to the 2025/26 export season with optimism. Thanks to favourable weather conditions that have resulted in excellent flowering and fruit set, industry body Hortgro projects a 6% overall increase in export volumes.
The standout category this season will be nectarines, with exports expected to reach 12.26 million cartons, representing a remarkable 18% increase compared to the previous season.
This strong growth is driven by favourable conditions for early varieties and continued investment in orchards — nectarine acreage has expanded by 26% over the past five years.
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As for other categories, projections are as follows:
Plums: modest increase of 3%, reaching 15.35 million cartons
Peaches: growth of 3%, totalling 1.94 million cartons
Apricots: slight decline of 3%, with 720,000 cartons expected
Market diversification and logistical challenges
Beyond the promising harvest, South African exporters now have access to a new and major destination: China. The recent approval to export apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and fresh prunes to the Chinese market marks a major milestone for the industry. According to Hortgro, this access will significantly diversify South Africa’s export portfolio and reduce reliance on traditional destinations.
On the logistics front, efficiency remains a top priority. While notable improvements have been made at the Port of Cape Town, Hortgro stresses that close coordination across the supply chain and investment in new infrastructure are crucial to ensuring smooth operations and the timely delivery of premium-quality fruit to global markets.
