South Africa should use its political links to boost agricultural exports to other BRICS countries, according to agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo.
South African agriculture has so far not benefited much from trade with the grouping, Sihlobo wrote in the Mail and Guardian.
The BRICS countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Six other countries joined in January this year – Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“While BRICS is not a trade bloc, using the structure to push more ambitious trade matters is vital. The agricultural sector particularly is one which would gain from deeper trade relations with member countries,” Sihlobo said.
Before the expansion, the original BRICS countries accounted for, on average, just 8% of the South Africa agricultural exports. In comparison, the United Kingdom alone accounted for roughly 7%.
While intra-BRICS agricultural trade was relatively low, these countries imported agricultural produce that South Africa had in abundance, with surplus volumes for export.
The newly expanded BRICS group was an opportunity to widen agricultural exports.
“The South African authorities should lobby for a more pragmatic approach beyond the high-level talk so that businesses can see the full benefit of BRICS engagements,” Sihlobo said.
Photo: Heads of delegations at the 16th BRICS summit. By Sergey Bobylev / Photohost agency brics-russia2024.ru
