This latest landing of fresh grapes in the Philippines follows over a decade of work by the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI), the South African government, and many other role players to gain access to this big market. Access was granted last year, with the first commercial shipment arriving towards the end of March 2026.
In a press release to mark the occasion, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said: “The arrival of this first shipment is more than a commercial transaction; it is the opening of a new trade corridor between South Africa and the Philippines. It demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained cooperation, mutual trust, and a shared ambition to grow our agriculture sectors.”
The Philippines is among the top 20 global importers of table grapes, with imports estimated at 74 000t in 2024, equivalent to around 16 million 4,5kg cartons. With a population of over 118 million people, a rapidly expanding middle class, and increasing urbanisation, the market presents a significant long-term opportunity for South African producers, Steenhuizen noted in a statement.
South African apples and pears to follow
Table grapes and citrus from South Africa now have access to the Philippine market. In further replies to questions from Farmer’s Weekly, media officials from the Department of Agriculture stated that negotiations are underway to gain market access for apples and pears too.
“Market access for pome fruit (apples and pears) is under negotiation, with phytosanitary requirements still being finalised between the two governments. As part of this process, Philippine officials conducted an on-site verification visit in South Africa from 23 to 29 March 2026.”
In a press release, Mecia Petersen, CEO of SATI, who attended their targeted market development campaign in Manila on 26 March, under the theme ‘The Sweet Difference’, said: “Expanding market access for South African table grapes remains a key priority, with Asia representing an important focus area. The Philippine market presents exciting opportunities for our exporters.”
Craig Jensen, director of the Gqeberha-based exporter Safpro, who sent this first commercial shipment of grapes to the Philippines, told Farmer’s Weekly that they shipped one container filled with the popular red seedless grapes Crimson Seedless, and Autumn Crisp, a crunchy white seedless grape.
“The grapes have landed in very good condition, especially considering the cold treatment protocols required.” However, he warned that South Africa face sstiff competition from the Australian grape supply that is already well established in the Philippines market.
“I believe the general reception of our South African grapes is good, but the market is well acquainted with Australian grape supply in this window. This makes it more difficult to penetrate the market with South African product. The effort made by both SATI and the Department of Agriculture in celebrating and promoting the arrival of the first fruit along with the importer has certainly helped to raise the profile. We will increase our volume in the future,” Jensen said.
South Korea the next market
Denene Erasmus, market development and communications manager at SATI, told Farmer’s Weekly that increasing the South Africa supply to the Philippines is key over the next few seasons.
“SATI’s priority this season was to establish a presence in the Philippine market during South Africa’s supply window. We hope this will create a platform to build a consistent and sustainable market position over the next three to five years.
“Our next focus in terms of new markets will be on the Republic of Korea. The export protocol which will enable South Africa to have official market access for table grapes to the Republic of Korea has been concluded and published. The industry looks forward to shipping the first consignment during the 2026/27 season, once the remaining administrative and oversight processes have been finalised,” Erasmus said.
