China and South Africa signed an agreement to expand trade with fresh avocado exports, China Daily reports on Aug. 25.

During the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to South Africa, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi and  South Africa's Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, signed the deal.

"Gaining access to China is a vital step in driving an export-led growth for the South African avocados, which is a commitment the government has made under the agriculture and agro-processing master plan," Didiza says.

The latest trade venture is expected to boost fruit cultivation in South Africa, as well as creating new jobs. The avocado sector currently employs over 15,000 people in the country.

In recent years, cultivation area grew  by over 9,800 acres to 44,487 acres, per South Africa’s latest figures.

With this, trade between both countries has expanded by a whopping 3,950%, reaching a value of $56.7 billion in 2022.

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According to the South African Avocado Industry Overview, published in May, dark skin varieties grown and exported by South Africa include Hass and other similar cultivars such as Carmen, Gem, Lamb Hass and Maluma. 

These varieties make up for roughly 80% of overall production, with the other 20% corresponding to green skin cultivars such as Fuerte, Pinkerton, Ryan and Reed.

Avocado production in South Africa has traditionally been concentrated in the warm subtropical areas of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in the northeast of the country.

However, production is expanding in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern and Western Cape provinces mostly driven by a rise in consumption and demand for year-round availability.