South Africa exported 25,584 metric tons (MT) of blueberries in marketing year (MY) 2025/26, up 13% from MY2024/25. The figure comes from an August 12, 2026 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Pretoria.
Europe and the United Kingdom together bought 80% of that volume. The region remains South Africa's primary export destination, even as producers court new markets in the Middle East and Asia.
Key Facts
- Up 13% from the previous season, South African blueberry exports reached 25,584 MT in MY2025/26.
- Europe and the UK bought 80% of exports in MY2025/26, down from 95% in MY2021/22.
- Total blueberry production hit 38,900 MT in MY2025/26, up 2% year-over-year.
The export growth comes almost exactly one year after South Africa granted market access for fresh U.S. blueberries on August 12, 2025. The agreement ended an 11-year negotiation between the two countries' plant health agencies.
FAS Pretoria's report describes that opening as narrow. South Africa's own position as a net exporter means fresh U.S. blueberry volumes into the country will likely remain low.
Europe and UK Share of Exports Falls From 95% to 80%
South Africa's blueberry industry has broadened its buyer base over the past five years. The United Kingdom and European Union together took 95% of exports in MY2021/22.
The combined UK-EU share had fallen to 80% by MY2025/26, as demand from the Middle East, Far East, and Asia picked up the difference. FAS Pretoria's report identifies the UK and EU as still the leading destinations, even as growth elsewhere continues.
Export sales carry a real premium over the domestic market. Blueberries sold for export fetched roughly R90 per kilogram (about $5.14) on average this season. Fruit sold domestically fetched roughly R60 per kilogram (about $3.42), per FAS Pretoria's report.
US Market Access Unlikely to Drive Fresh Fruit Exports
For U.S. blueberry exporters, the calculus is different. South African blueberry consumption remains a niche, luxury purchase. Domestic supply already exceeds demand.
FAS Pretoria's report concludes fresh blueberry shipments from the United States into South Africa will likely stay low, even with market access now open.
The report frames genetics, not fruit, as the stronger opening.
New U.S. varieties bred for specific chill and climate conditions could help South African growers extend their harvest windows and improve fruit quality. Those genetics give U.S. breeders and nurseries a commercial foothold the fresh fruit trade does not offer.
Propagating Material Imports Face Strict South African Rules
Exporting plant material itself is not simple. South Africa allows imports of U.S. blueberry seeds, cuttings, and other propagating material, but the process is tightly regulated.
Shipments require both an import permit issued by South Africa's Department of Agriculture and a phytosanitary certificate from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Imported plants are held under state supervision at a quarantine facility in Stellenbosch before release to the importer.
Importers must also confirm whether a cultivar is registered on South Africa's National Variety List or subject to Plant Breeder's Rights before it can be brought in. Separate requirements under the country's Genetically Modified Organisms Act may also apply.
