China eases tariffs as South Africa’s rooibos flies the flag globally

The rooibos industry could have not asked for a better start to the year following China’s tariff rate cuts on imports of South African rooibos tea. From 30% to 6%, producers and the whole industry can now breathe a sigh of relief. The South African government welcomed the announcement by the government of China, citing that rooibos tea has gained a strong foothold in global markets with hundreds of millions of rands of annual exports in 2022. China, the world’s largest tea market, previously had tariffs ranging from 15% to 30% on rooibos tea. This has now been reduced to 6%. The South African Rooibos Council (SARC) spokesperson Adele du Toit said the reduced tariffs would help to stimulate growth and contribute positively to growing the industry through economic development by increasing revenue and creating jobs. “This development is a result of a long process and the SARC and industry are pleased as it poses more opportunities for exports of rooibos to the largest tea-drinking ...