South African cherry growers can now sell into China for the first time, opening a major new market for the country’s growing cherry industry.

Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp signed the market-access protocol with China’s General Administration of Customs in Beijing on 8 September. China imported about 586,900 tonnes of cherries worth US$3.3 billion in 2025, making it the world’s largest cherry importer.

For South Africa’s supply-chain industry, however, the interesting part starts after the agreement is signed.

Getting cherries from an orchard to a Chinese buyer requires a coordinated journey involving harvesting, packing, temperature-controlled logistics, road freight, export procedures, international shipping and distribution.

For a perishable product, every stage matters.

From Orchard to Packhouse

The export journey starts with producing fruit that meets the requirements of the destination market.

The new market-access protocol establishes the framework for South African cherries to enter China and forms part of the sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements governing agricultural trade between the two countries.

Once harvested, cherries need to move quickly through packing and preparation. The fruit then enters a temperature-controlled supply chain designed to maintain its condition while it travels towards the export gateway.

This makes logistics more than a transport function. Delays at the farm, packhouse, storage facility or during transport can reduce the time available for the rest of the journey.

The Journey to the Export Gateway

Where the cherries are grown will influence how they reach international markets.

South Africa’s cherry industry has expanded significantly in recent years, with planted area increasing from 185 hectares in 2012 to 819 hectares in 2024, according to industry body Hortgro.

As production grows, so does the logistics network needed to support it.

More fruit means more movement between farms and packhouses, greater demand for cold storage and additional transport capacity to connect production areas with export gateways.

The opening of China could therefore create opportunities beyond the growers themselves.

Then Comes the Export Process

Physical movement is only part of getting the cherries into China.

South African exporters also need to meet customs and origin requirements.

South Africa’s temporary zero-tariff arrangement with China came into effect on 1 May 2026. Qualifying exports can receive zero-tariff treatment if they meet the applicable rules of origin, although some tariff lines are subject to quotas.

SARS issues the Rules of Origin certificates required for qualifying exports. Exporters must also maintain the required documentation and comply with the scheme’s conditions to receive the tariff benefit.

For the supply chain, this means a shipment can be physically ready to leave South Africa but still be unable to move as planned if the documentation and customs requirements are not in order.

China is Only Another Link in the Chain

Once the cherries arrive in China, the journey is not over.

The shipment still needs to clear the relevant authorities, reach importers and move through China’s distribution network before reaching its final buyer.

That makes coordination across the entire journey particularly important.

A delay in South Africa does not simply mean a later departure. It reduces the time available for every stage that follows.

A New Market, And A New Logistics Opportunity

The Department of Agriculture expects the opening of the Chinese market to stimulate further investment in cherry production and estimates that it could create about 600 new jobs.

If production expands, the supporting supply chain will need to expand with it — from packhouses and cold storage to road freight, export services and international logistics.

That is what makes the agreement significant beyond agriculture.

South Africa now has access to a major new market. The next challenge is building a supply chain capable of getting those cherries there on time, in good condition and at a competitive cost.

Strong winds regularly disrupt operations at the Port of Cape Town, creating delays that can extend well beyond the harbour. Transnet is now considering wind shields, combined with improved weather forecasting and predictive modelling, as part of an effort to reduce these interruptions and keep cargo moving.

The proposal comes as the port continues to look at ways of improving its ability to operate during adverse weather. The focus is not on eliminating the effect of strong winds, but on reducing the amount of time they prevent equipment from operating safely.

That matters because lost operating time at a major port can quickly become a problem for exporters, shipping companies and businesses further along the supply chain.

Why Strong Winds Disrupt Port Operations

Much of the work at a container port depends on large pieces of equipment, including ship-to-shore cranes, operating safely.

When wind speeds reach certain levels, those operations may have to be restricted or stopped. The resulting delays can affect when cargo is loaded and unloaded and, in turn, when vessels are able to leave the port.

A disruption to one operation can also affect the schedule of others.

For exporters, the consequences can be significant. Cargo may already have been transported to the port, prepared for export and scheduled for loading. When operations are interrupted, those goods can remain in the system for longer, creating uncertainty around delivery times and additional pressure on transport and storage arrangements.

The Wind Shield Proposal

Transnet is considering wind shields as one way of reducing the impact of strong winds on port operations.

The concept is relatively straightforward: strategically placed barriers could reduce wind speeds in areas where equipment is operating, potentially allowing some activities to continue safely for longer during periods of adverse weather.

The objective is not to make the port immune to wind. Instead, the proposed infrastructure is intended to reduce the frequency or duration of stoppages caused by conditions that currently prevent equipment from operating.

That could give the port more usable operating time, particularly during periods when strong winds would otherwise restrict activity.

Forecasting Matters Just as Much

The physical wind shields form only part of the proposed approach.

Transnet National Ports Authority has been working with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on a wind study and predictive modelling for the Port of Cape Town.

The work is designed to improve understanding of how wind conditions affect port operations and provide more localised information that can support operational decisions.

The Western Cape Government reported in February that the forecasting model had been tested and integrated into the port’s operational support system. The system provides localised wind forecasts and information intended to assist Port Control when making decisions about operations.

The practical benefit is better preparation.

Accurate forecasting can give port operators more warning of potentially disruptive conditions, allowing them to adjust operations and plan around periods of severe wind rather than reacting once a disruption has already occurred.

Why Exporters Feel the Impact

The effects of a port disruption are not confined to the port.

Take an agricultural exporter. Produce may have been harvested, packed, transported to Cape Town and prepared for loading onto a vessel bound for an overseas market. If strong winds interrupt operations, the shipment can be delayed even though every previous stage of the journey has been completed.

That delay can affect schedules, transport planning, storage and the timing of when goods reach their destination.

The Western Cape Government has highlighted fruit exports in particular when discussing the need to reduce weather-related disruption at the port.

For products where timing and condition are critical, improving the consistency of port operations can have a direct commercial benefit.

More Than an Infrastructure Problem

Wind is only one of the factors affecting port performance, which is why the proposed response goes beyond the construction of physical barriers.

The broader work includes forecasting, operational procedures and planning for periods when weather prevents normal activity.

That combination is important. Better infrastructure can reduce the impact of strong winds, but better information can help operators decide how to use the available operating time and prepare for disruption when it cannot be avoided.

The Western Cape Government’s stakeholder work has also identified the need for clearer procedures around stopping and restarting operations and for alternative measures during extended weather disruptions.

A Practical Response to a Recurring Problem

The proposed wind shields are a targeted response to a problem that repeatedly affects the Port of Cape Town.

Rather than treating every weather-related stoppage as unavoidable, the approach is to reduce the effect of strong winds where possible and improve the information available to the people running the port.

For exporters and other businesses that depend on the port, the outcome is ultimately straightforward: fewer disruptions, greater certainty and a more predictable route for getting goods to market.

That is the real value of the proposal. Not simply keeping cranes operating for longer, but reducing the number of times a weather event at the harbour becomes a problem for businesses hundreds or thousands of kilometres away.

Customers rarely think about procurement.

When they walk into a shop, place an online order or receive a delivery at their door, they’re focused on one thing: whether the experience lives up to their expectations.

Is the product available?

Did it arrive when it was supposed to?

Was it the quality they expected?

Most people never stop to consider that those moments often begin months before they become customers. Long before an order is packed or a delivery vehicle leaves the warehouse, someone has already decided who will supply the product, how it will be sourced and how it will make its way through the supply chain.

Those decisions quietly shape almost everything the customer experiences.

The Customer Only Sees the End Result

Businesses spend a great deal of time discussing procurement, inventory, warehousing and logistics.

Customers don’t.

They simply judge what happens at the end.

If a product is out of stock, they don’t wonder whether a supplier experienced production delays. If a delivery arrives late, they’re unlikely to think about transport schedules or inventory planning.

They remember the business they bought from.

That’s what makes procurement so important. The decisions made long before a customer places an order often determine whether that customer leaves satisfied or frustrated.

Every Supplier Changes the Experience

Choosing a supplier isn’t simply a purchasing decision.

It’s a decision about how the business wants to operate.

One supplier may offer a lower price. Another may have a stronger record for delivering on time. A third might be more responsive when plans suddenly change or demand increases without warning.

None of those qualities appears on the shelf beside the product.

Yet every one of them can influence whether customers find what they’re looking for when they need it.

By the time procurement teams sit down to compare suppliers, they’re often thinking about much more than the quotation in front of them. They’re considering how dependable each supplier has been, how easily they communicate and how confidently the business can rely on them when circumstances become less predictable.

The Best Customer Experiences Start Earlier Than Most People Think

One delayed shipment doesn’t necessarily create a problem.

Neither does one supplier running behind schedule.

Supply chains are remarkably good at absorbing small disruptions.

The real challenge comes when those small disruptions begin happening more often. Deliveries start slipping by a day here and there. Inventory takes longer to replenish. Warehouses begin adjusting schedules to accommodate late arrivals.

Eventually, those small changes reach the customer.

From the customer’s perspective, it feels as though the business has become less reliable.

In reality, the first signs may have appeared much earlier inside the supply chain.

Procurement is Really About Trust

The strongest supplier relationships aren’t built on price alone.

They’re built on confidence.

Confidence that products will arrive when they’ve been promised. Confidence that suppliers will communicate when circumstances change. Confidence that both businesses will work together when unexpected challenges appear.

Those qualities don’t always stand out during a tender process.

They usually become obvious months later, when the supply chain comes under pressure.

Customers Remember How You Made Them Feel

Most customers will never know who supplied the product they purchased.

They’ll never see the purchase order, negotiate a contract or visit the warehouse where their order was packed.

What they will remember is whether the experience felt effortless.

That’s why procurement reaches much further than purchasing products.

Every decision made at the beginning of the supply chain has the potential to shape the experience waiting at the very end.

Long before a customer forms an opinion about a business, procurement has already helped write that story.