• Starting August 1, the U.S. will impose a 30% tariff on South African agricultural exports, including citrus, beef, and wine.

• South Africa’s citrus industry, which exports $100 million worth of fruit annually to the U.S., will take a direct hit.

• President Ramaphosa condemns Trump’s decision as “unilateral” and economically unjustified, stressing the imbalance in current tariff structures.

Donald Trump says he wants to protect white South African farmers. But his latest move does the opposite.

Starting August 1, the U.S. will slap a 30% tariff on a range of South African agricultural products, including citrus fruits, wine, sugar cane, soybeans, and beef. These products previously enjoyed duty-free access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key economic bridge for South African exporters.

This tariff hits hard, especially for citrus producers. South Africa ranks as the world’s second-largest citrus exporter, after Spain. It ships around $100 million worth of citrus to the U.S. annually. While the American market makes up just 6% of South Africa’s fruit exports, it remains strategically vital. Producers specifically target the U.S. during its off-season in winter, when local American supply dwindles. Farmers cannot easily redirect these exports elsewhere due to strict and varying global phytosanitary regulations.

The Trump administration justifies the tariff by accusing South Africa of maintaining unfair trade barriers. Officials argue that the move will rebalance trade and protect U.S. interests amid broader trade tensions. They cite longstanding complaints about market access and insist the measure is overdue.

Pretoria sees things differently. On July 8, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the decision. He called it “unilateral” and based on a distorted reading of trade data. Ramaphosa noted that 77% of American goods enter South Africa duty-free and that over half of South African imports carry no tariffs. He emphasized that South Africa’s average tariff stands at 7.6%, far below the new 30% imposed by Washington.

A move that backfires on the very people it aims to protect

Trump has also linked the tariffs to South Africa’s January 23, 2025 expropriation law, which permits land seizures without compensation. He brands the law a “violation of human rights” and uses it as further justification for sanctions. However, this move undermines the very white farmers he claims to defend—and it affects much more than that.

In reality, the new tariffs jeopardize an entire agricultural ecosystem. The farming sector depends on a largely Black workforce and supports hundreds of multiracial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The decision ripples across the economy, with consequences far beyond politics. It punishes both white landowners and Black laborers alike, offering no real solution to any trade imbalance.

In 2023, bilateral trade between the U.S. and South Africa hit $17.6 billion. Now, that relationship stands at risk. Meanwhile, competitors such as Peru and Australia are gearing up to fill the gap in the U.S. market, especially for citrus fruit.

This article was initially published in French by Olivier de Souza

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum