China did what South African farmers had been waiting for years — it removed the tariffs. Not for just a few. For all 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with Beijing. The decision took effect in stages: starting December 2024 for 33 least-developed nations, and from May 2026 for another 20. But the result is the same: the barriers are gone.
For Pratish Sharma, a farmer in KwaZulu-Natal, the news arrived at the darkest moment. The winter was brutal: volatile prices and trade barriers were strangling the industry. He had already begun converting 18 hectares from sugarcane to macadamia nuts, but without a guaranteed market, it was a step into the unknown.
China's decision changed everything.
"This will create stable income from sugar exports," Sharma says. "Agreements like this revitalize the economy and make us competitive."
Kulani Siweya, director of trade policy at the South African Sugar Association, cites the numbers: today, the country exports between 35,000 and 70,000 tons of sugar to China, while most volumes go to the US and Europe. "But now that China has opened the door, we have a real chance to enter," he says.
South Africa's Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen emphasizes that tariff removal is not just about sugar. "We will be able to compete in the Chinese market with wines, citrus, nuts — on a level playing field. Duty-free access changes everything."
South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in the region for 17 consecutive years, with bilateral trade exceeding $53 billion. Yet the country's agricultural products account for just 0.4% of China's total food imports. That gap — is exactly where growth will happen.
China's decision does not merely reduce costs. It offers hope. For roughly 25,000 registered sugarcane growers — families across the country. And for farmers like Sharma, who now know: their sweet, premium sugar is truly wanted by China.
"We have found hope again," he says. And that, perhaps, is the most important outcome of China's decision.
