FAO FAOSTAT Trade Data · Country
South Africa
Thin-third FAO agricultural trade profile for South Africa (2018–2023).
- $42.0B
- exports, 2018–2023
- $28.1B
- imports, 2018–2023
- +$13.9B
- trade surplus
- $70.1B
- total trade (imports + exports)
South Africa agricultural trade, 2018–2023
Imports vs exports by year, FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock
Thin cumulative trade book
South Africa in the thin-trade third
$70.1B cumulative 2018–2023 ag trade puts South Africa in the lightest third of FAO partners here (#45 of 50).
Cumulative 2018-2023 ag trade for South Africa is $70.1B, a thin-third book; ordinal swings look large in percent terms even when absolute dollars stay smaller. Even at thin scale, Oranges still tops exports and Wheat tops imports. US MFN duties follow the product's HTS classification, not origin; South Africa-origin shipments may still qualify for preferential Special rates under applicable FTAs.
Dig deeper: How US tariffs move trade flows. Source: FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock (USD converted from 1000 USD units).
Top Agricultural Exports (2023)
| # | Commodity | Export Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maize (corn) | $1.2B |
| 2 | Oranges | $791.4M |
| 3 | Wine | $619.1M |
| 4 | Grapes | $597.6M |
| 5 | Tangerines; mandarins; clementines | $580.8M |
| 6 | Apples | $486.0M |
| 7 | Soya beans | $388.6M |
| 8 | Lemons and limes | $361.6M |
| 9 | Raw cane or beet sugar (centrifugal only) | $352.1M |
| 10 | Other non-alcoholic caloric beverages | $222.0M |
Top Agricultural Imports (2023)
| # | Commodity | Import Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rice; milled | $620.4M |
| 2 | Wheat | $615.0M |
| 3 | Palm oil | $461.4M |
| 4 | Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 80% vol; spirits; liqueurs and other spirituous beverages | $338.4M |
| 5 | Raw cane or beet sugar (centrifugal only) | $224.3M |
| 6 | Meat of chickens; fresh or chilled | $180.9M |
| 7 | Sunflower-seed oil; crude | $167.3M |
| 8 | Malt; whether or not roasted | $132.3M |
| 9 | Beer of barley; malted | $132.0M |
| 10 | Other non-alcoholic caloric beverages | $123.3M |
Trade Profile Summary
- Leading agricultural export: Oranges
- Leading agricultural import: Wheat
Nationwide trading partners with similar ag trade scale
Two FAO peer sets for South Africa's thin-third book, each excluding this country (commodity tables above stay the bilateral path).
Similar total ag trade
Nearest other countries by cumulative imports+exports ($70.1B here).
Similar trade balance
Nearest other countries by export−import balance (+$13.9B here).
Sources: U.S. International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule (2026 Basic Edition) and FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock. See our methodology for how figures are computed.
Every figure on PlainTariff is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.