South African delegation led by Vice President visits BasisPort in St. Petersburg

21.06.2025

On June 21, a delegation from the Republic of South Africa (RSA), led by Vice President Paul Mashatile, visited BasisPort in St. Petersburg. The delegates were shown a new fruit terminal capable of storing 11,000 tons of fruit at a time. At the time of their arrival, citrus fruits from South Africa, delivered on the Baltic Patriot, were being unloaded.

During the meeting, the delegation was welcomed by BasisPort Director Sergey Tolostoukhov, Honorary Consul of South Africa in St. Petersburg and other diplomats. The meeting was moderated by Mikhail Fateev, Head of Agriculture for Russia and South Africa.

The South African side was represented by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Rosemary Kapa, Acting Ambassador Thandi Mgswati and other embassy representatives.

Vice President Mashatile stressed the importance of agricultural cooperation between Russia and South Africa and the need for its further development, including joint investments in projects in St. Petersburg.

The Republic of South Africa has become a leading supplier of fresh fruits to the Russian market. Thanks to difference in climate and complementary harvesting seasons South African fruits do not compete with Russia’s domestic produce, but deliver fresh vitamin-rich products especially demanded by Russian consumers during the period of long winter, spring and early summer.

Citrus are not grown in Russia, and South African deliveries of oranges, grapefruits, lemons and mandarins satisfy not less than one third of Russia's total requirement in the products. Direct supplies of citrus from RSA started after establishment of diplomatic relation between RSA and Russian Federation in1992. Since then the supplies have steadily increased to reach about 300 thousand tons per year. Fresh fruits from RSA account for half of total South African exports to Russia. Over 100 companies on the both sides participate in fruit trade. Among them are South African producers members of Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) and exporters of the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum (FPEF) as suppliers and on the receiving end their Russian partners who ensure distribution of fruits in the vast market of the Russian Federation. Russia-RSA fruit trade has withstood blows of Western sanctions against Russia in recent years. Mutually beneficial trade continues, supply of fruits from RSA to Russia goes on without interruption all year round. Difficulties of logistics connected with far distance and obstruction from some transnational shipping companies have effectively been dealt with: not less than 80% of fruit exports are carried out by direct vessels from ports of South Africa to St. Petersburg.

Only in this month six refer vessels from South Africa are received in ports of St. Petersburg. One of them, M/V “Baltic Patriot”, is under discharge at Basis Port now. It has brought from South Africa five thousand tons of grapefruits, oranges, lemons, mandarins, apples, pears, avocadoes to the tables of Russian families. Russia.

South African high quality fruits, always fresh and affordable to mass consumer in Russia, have become symbol of relations between Russia and South Africa: healthy, beautiful, prosperous and noble.