Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says South Africa’s agricultural sector is proving to be one of the country’s strongest economic performers after exports surged by 11% in the first quarter of 2026.
Image: File Phando Jikelo / Parliament of RSA
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says South Africa’s agricultural sector now supports roughly 960,000 jobs, describing the industry as one of the country’s most powerful engines for economic growth and rural employment.
Speaking after the release of new first-quarter export data showing an 11% rise in agricultural exports to US$3.7 billion, Steenhuisen said the sector had created nearly 300,000 additional jobs since the launch of the National Development Plan in 2012.
“When the National Development Plan was launched in 2012, South African agriculture supported approximately 720,000 jobs. Today, that number stands at roughly 960,000,” Steenhuisen said.
“The creation of nearly 300,000 jobs over this period is a significant achievement, particularly given the structural constraints that continue to affect the sector.”
New figures released by Agbiz show exports were driven by strong performances in grapes, apples, pears, maize, wine, avocados, wool, sugar and fruit juices despite global trade uncertainty and local logistical challenges.
Steenhuisen said the latest export growth reinforces government’s view that agriculture remains central to economic recovery, job creation and rural development.
“Imagine what more could be achieved if we fully unlocked the productive potential of agriculture through improved infrastructure, greater investment certainty, stronger logistics, expanded market access, and broader land ownership and financing opportunities,” he said.
The minister warned, however, that persistent congestion and delays at the Port of Cape Town continue to threaten growth in the export-driven sector, particularly for high-value perishable products.
“These are not minor operational inconveniences. For a high-value perishable export industry, logistics efficiency is existential,” Steenhuisen said.
He added that expanding access to international markets remains critical for sustaining growth and protecting jobs in the agricultural economy.
“Market access is absolutely central to the future growth of South African agriculture. We cannot expand our agricultural economy if we are unable to continuously open, deepen and defend access to international markets,” he said.
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