JOHANNESBURG – A looming 30% tariff on South African agricultural exports to the United States is expected to strike at the heart of the country’s citrus industry, with white farmers—once courted by former US President Donald Trump—likely among the hardest hit.
The tariff, set to take effect on August 1, ends years of preferential trade access South African farmers enjoyed under the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). Products such as citrus, wine, soybeans, sugarcane, and beef will now face duties, potentially disrupting a $100 million annual export relationship with the US.
Despite publicly expressing support for white South African farmers in the past—inviting them to seek refuge in the US and criticising land reform policies—Trump’s trade policy now puts their livelihoods in jeopardy. Farmers in the Western Cape, particularly in citrus-growing areas like Citrusdal, say the decision is difficult to reconcile with that rhetoric.
“It doesn’t make sense to welcome South African farmers to America and punish the rest who remain,” said Krisjan Mouton, a sixth-generation farmer in the Cederberg mountains, where the family business depends on exporting navel oranges. “It’s not profitable to export to the USA anymore.”
Although US markets account for about 6% of South Africa’s total citrus exports, many farms were structured around the US seasonal demand, which complements South Africa’s Southern Hemisphere harvest.
The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) estimates that about 35,000 jobs are at risk in Citrusdal alone. CEO Boitshoko Ntshabele warned that entire communities could be destabilised, with both black and white farmworkers affected by any downturn in exports.
At Goede Hoop Citrus, a major packing facility in the region, managing director Andre Nel said the sector won’t survive long if the tariff sticks. “Farmers will go bankrupt. For sure, there would be job losses,” he said.
Redirecting produce to other markets like China and India is being considered but comes with its own set of challenges. Trade standards and tariffs vary widely, and European Union markets impose tough phytosanitary requirements.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said trade talks with the US are ongoing, insisting that the 30% rate is based on a misreading of trade flows between the two countries. However, local producers say time is running out to rescue the season.
For now, fruit is still being picked and packed across the valleys of the Western Cape.
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