Exports from the Western Cape to the United States have sharply declined over the past 12 months, with fruit juices, wine, citrus, pomegranates, and yachts being among the most affected goods.
The volume of goods sent to the American market has decreased by nearly 7 billion rand, corresponding to a 41% drop over the year. According to new data provided by the Premier's Office and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism in Cape Argus, exports to the US decreased from 16.89 billion rand between August 2024 and July 2025 to 10.02 billion rand between August 2025 and July 2026.
These figures, obtained from SARS and Quantec, indicate an overall decrease in export value of approximately 6.87 billion rand. Fruit juice exports showed the most significant percentage decline, falling by 86% from 952.9 million rand to 136.7 million rand. Pomegranate exports dropped by 79%, decreasing from 444.2 million rand to 91.1 million rand.
Yacht exports were cut by more than half, showing a 55% fall—from 1.4 billion rand to 627.6 million rand. Wine exports decreased by 38%, amounting to 371.5 million rand compared to the previous 603.1 million rand, while citrus exports reduced by 17%, from 2.19 billion rand to 1.82 billion rand.
The Premier's Office and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism reported that preliminary analysis indicated that agricultural products and related agro-processing industries were among the hardest hit in terms of trade volume with the US, although some niche manufacturing sectors also experienced negative impact.
Cape Argus also requested information on whether the decline led to job losses, but the province did not provide any data on this matter.
In response to the introduction of tariffs, the Premier's Office and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism stated that 'the role of the Western Cape is limited as trade relations are outside the mandate of the provincial government.' They clarified that the initial response includes engaging with their counterparts in the US and working with the national government to achieve a positive diplomatic resolution.
It was added that over the last 12 months following the imposition of certain US tariffs on South Africa, the Western Cape Departments of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, the Western Cape Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Agency (Wesgro), and various industry associations worked to identify the most vulnerable sectors and export goods, such as shipbuilding and citrus. These groups lobbied for support and tariff reductions with DTIC and various importers in the US. This approach proved successful, but only for some goods, such as citrus.
Simultaneously, exporters are increasingly directing their goods to other markets. Although citrus exports to the US decreased by 10,300 tonnes, or 8%, exports to the rest of Africa increased by 17,800 tonnes, or 40% over the same period. Citrus exports to Asia grew by 111,000 tonnes, or 21%. The province also reported that the value of pomegranate exports to the rest of Africa rose by 30%, or 119 million rand, and wine exports by 19%, or 184 million rand, and yacht exports by 4%, or 5 million rand. It was noted that these increases have not yet compensated for the losses in the American market, although yacht exports to Europe also showed growth.
Despite the 41% drop in US exports, the province stated that the total value of Western Cape exports to all markets increased by 5.4% during the reporting period.