A meeting involving Canada’s Minister of Finance Françis-P. Champagne in Cape Town, the Western Cape on July 15, 2025 has championed citrus trade and wine tourism.
During the meeting, the Western Cape Province’s Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development & Tourism, Dr. Ivan Meyer praised extant citrus exports to Canada.
According to the minister, South Africa’s citrus dispatches to the North American country in 2023 represented 20.42% of all exports there.
Tilting the national balance were citrus supplies from the temperate province alone, which represented 33.64% of its total exports to Canada.
At 1.02 billion Rand ($57.6 million), the Western Cape’s citrus shipments represented 1/3rd of the province’s total export value to Canada in 2023.
Fittingly, the 2025 citrus marketing year in South Africa is making gains and could rival 2024’s 164.5 million 15-kg boxes in exports.
Wine Tourism, too
Another niche that needs maximization, despite Canada already being a top importer, is wine.
To elevate the stakes, a Western Cape trade/investment delegation will visit Canada this September. A little later, it will grace the 2026 Vancouver Wine Show.
Looming tariffs have soured Canada’s traditionally duty-free liquor and wine trade with the United States – a void South Africa could fill.
The first promotional targets could be Canada’s tourists because they visit wine spots. This could be true of the wine-rich Western Cape, which in 2019 welcomed 28,650 visitors from Canada.
Based on 2023 trade data, the Western Cape enjoys a superior trade advantage over Canada. While exports there reach 3.04 billion Rand ($171.7 million) per year, reciprocal provincial imports clock 840 million Rand ($47.5 million). The following statistics explore the stakes of this trade advantage for price-sensitive citrus and wine, via historical trade data.
Western Cape-Canada Citrus and Wine Statistics
The Western Cape at the southern tip of South Africa is a major hub for citrus and wine grapes. In the 2022-23 marketing year, citrus from the province represented 38% of the national output, according to the Citrus Industry Magazine. Some of this citrus reaches Canada at a worth of 1.02 billion Rand ($57.6 million). This is equal to 33.64% of all provincial exports there, as of 2024. Conversely, the United States on the other hand receives 20% of the annual citrus exports from the Western Cape.
In the larger context, Canada was the 7th biggest SA’s citrus importer, with a 5% share. Only the European Union, the UK, the UAE, Russia, the U.S., and China enjoyed larger shares in descending order.
The same export lead, punctuated by tariff turmoil, informs wine. Exploiting a mid-2025 liquor/wine tariff war between Canada and the United States, tariff-hit South Africa’s wine looks to expand to Canada. In 2024, the United States was the fourth biggest packaged wine importer from SA at 7,071,876 liters, ahead of Canada.
Does Canada buy much wine from South Africa?
Canada ranks among the biggest importers of wine from South Africa. In 2024, the country followed Belgium in bulk and packaged wine imports from SA, at 14,716,023 liters. This is according to the Wines of South Africa (WOSA). Ottawa also came 6th in packaged wine imports from South Africa that same year, at 6,005,003 liters.