South Africa on April 17 is marking 363 years since the first apple tree produced fruit on local soil.
Over 150 years after Vasco Da Gama circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope, Jan van Riebeeck planted the first apple seedlings here.
The first harvest of two Witte Wijnappel apples on April 17, 1662 would then shape the future of local apple production.
From this crucial date rose the famed Elgin Valley of Western Cape, which defined continental production in the 1900s.
Apple production in South Africa has since then catapulted from that original 1.5-meter tree into a leading world exporter status.
Exports Distribution
In the 2025 season, the country expects to ship 51 million 12.4 kg boxes of Granny Smiths, Pink Lady and other varieties.
SA’s apples enjoy fair distribution margins to four key regions that include East and South Asia, which leads with a 30% share (2024).
Africa controls 20% of the exports while the United Kingdom with 15% is the biggest single country destination.
Western Asia, especially the second biggest single country destination, the UAE, controls 12% of all shipments.
Latest Trade Breakthroughs
To enrich the above rich history, the sector courts trade deals, the latest of which being a Thai market re-entry.
After stopping imports in 2008, Thailand welcomed back shipments in February 2025 by reviewing its import requirements.
South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen highlighted the Thai breakthrough by reiterating shipping importance since 50% of production is outbound.
Henceforth, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development will register all groves and pack-houses with Thai supply contracts.
So, 363 years later, the South Africa apple industry is standing robust while still rebooting past markets. Below are a few extra statistics that give the full picture of the industry.
South Africa Apple Production and Export Statistics
South Africa ranks first in Africa in apple production ahead of Egypt, with production at over 1.32 million tonnes, as of 2022. This places the country 12th worldwide in terms of annual output behind the top trio of China, Türkiye and the United States. The table below, courtesy of FAOSTAT, illustrates production and acreage expansion in the 2019-23 period.
| Production Year | Production Total [Tonnes] | Acreage [Ha] |
| 2023 | 1,198,897 | 28,134 |
| 2022 | 1,231,867 | 29,290 |
| 2021 | 1,148,771 | 27,679 |
| 2020 | 998,785 | 24,218 |
| 2019 | 895,399 | 22,164 |
Is South Africa a major apple exporter?
At 10.6 billion rand ($561.7 million) in export revenue (2024), South Africa was the 5th biggest apple exporter worldwide in 2023. Exports grew by 40% in the 2014-2024 period, according to SA News. Driving the exponential expansion are the UK at 1.51 billion Rand ($80.1 million) and the UAE at 726 million rand ($38.5 million) in 2024. Other major destinations are Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and the Far-East.