The new tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are set to harm South African citrus farms and could potentially affect up to 35,000 jobs, according to a statement from a farmers’ association on Tuesday.
On April 2, Trump announced a 31% tariff on imports from South Africa as part of a broader measure that included a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and higher duties on goods from numerous countries.
South Africa, the world’s second-largest citrus exporter after Spain, sends between 5% and 6% of its citrus produce to the U.S., generating more than $100 million in annual revenue. The Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) stated that the new tariff will add an additional $4.50 per carton, making South African citrus less competitive in the U.S. market.
Towns like Citrusdal in the Western Cape, which rely heavily on citrus exports to the U.S., are expected to face significant hardship, CGA chairperson Gerrit van der Merwe warned. “The severity and immediate nature of the impending tariffs could mean that towns like it now face either increased unemployment or possibly even total economic collapse,” van der Merwe said. “There is immense anxiety in our communities.”
He added that 35,000 jobs are directly linked to South Africa’s citrus exports.
As South African farmers begin packing citrus for the U.S. market this week, growers are urging the government “to prioritize immediate negotiations with the U.S. on tariff reductions or exemptions on citrus.”
South Africa has stated that it will not retaliate against the U.S., its second-largest bilateral trading partner after China, but instead will seek to negotiate exemptions and quota agreements. The country also argued that Trump’s tariffs undermine the benefits that African nations have enjoyed under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for qualifying countries. The 25-year-old trade initiative is set to expire in September.
