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US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington DC, US, April 2, 2025.
South African table grape producers fear that United States President Donald Trump’s trade war could undo years of hard work for the table grape industry in South Africa.
This as the local industry has tried for years to penetrate and expand the market in the United States, but the looming tariffs could skew competition against South Africa.
“It’s not economically viable for us in the chilli urban and above us due to market conditions, and it’s not going to be in there anymore. The market penetration of the five past seasons we’ve had has increased the volume to about 28% of market share, which we send a product to the USA. So if the tariff that President Trump is putting on the table is 31%, it’s not going to be economically viable for us,” says Gabriel Viljoen, the chairperson of the Oranje River Producers Association.
