South African table grapes to the Philippines: import rules, first shipment and buyer checks

The Philippine rules are set out in DA Administrative Circular No. 11, Series of 2024 (opens in a new tab), issued on 19 November 2024 according to the national administrative register (opens in a new tab). South Africa's government announced on 5 March 2025 that the market opened on 26 February 2025 (opens in a new tab), and on 25 March 2026 reported the arrival of the first official shipment (opens in a new tab).

South Africa's government estimates that the Philippines imported about 74,000 tonnes of table grapes in 2024 and describes its industry's plan to build volumes during South Africa's supply window over the next three to five years. These are the exporting government's own figures and plans, not a forecast of what any buyer will receive.

For Philippine importers and distributors, the corridor adds a southern-hemisphere origin to existing suppliers. Whether it fits your calendar depends on the varieties and weeks a registered exporter can offer.

Only BPI-licensed importers accredited by the Bureau of Customs may apply for an SPS import clearance, and the licence must be valid when they apply. The clearance is required before the grapes are shipped, cannot be transferred, and sets pre- and post-shipment conditions that the exporter and importer must meet.

Production units and packhouses must be registered with South Africa's agriculture department before exports begin, apply good agricultural practice with integrated pest management, and keep spray records available to BPI on request.

Registered vineyards must run trap monitoring for Mediterranean fruit fly, Natal fruit fly and false codling moth. Vineyards that exceed thresholds without control measures cannot ship to the Philippines for the rest of the season, and a pest detection at pre-export inspection rejects the consignment.

Grapes must be packed in new cartons free of soil, leaves and plant debris. Each carton must show the farm and packhouse identity (PUC and PHC), the exporter's registered name and address or grower number, and the production date. Wood packaging must meet ISPM 15 (opens in a new tab), and residues must meet Codex or South African maximum residue limits.

The commercial specification is set between buyer and supplier. Typical points are variety, colour, berry size, bunch weight, sugar level and carton format — general guidance that you should write into the request rather than assume.

The circular requires an in-transit cold treatment under one of two schedules: 1.2 °C for 19 days or more with pre-cooling to 0.6 °C or below before loading, or −0.1 °C for at least 16 days with pre-cooling to −0.5 °C or below. Containers must be able to reach and hold these temperatures.

Recorders must log every sensor at least hourly and print out the readings by sensor, time, recorder and container. Sensors are calibrated against a standard approved by South Africa's Perishable Products Export Control Board, and the signed calibration record is attached to the phytosanitary certificate.

Send one structured request with varieties, specification, volume per shipment and season, arrival window and port. Our team asks exporters for registration and treatment evidence, contacts them on your behalf and returns comparable offers. Buyers and suppliers are not put in direct contact, and no offer implies an authority's approval.