UITVOERGELEENTHEDE GAAN OOP / EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES OPENING UP
UITVOERGELEENTHEDE GAAN OOP
Uitvoergeleenthede vir Suid-Afrikaanse landbouprodukte gaan binne BRICS+-lande oop, volgens Agbiz se weeklikse markstandpunt van 6 Mei 2024.
China, Saudi-Arabië en Egipte het die bemarkingstoegang vir verskeie landbouprodukte van Suid-Afrika vergroot. Egipte en Saudi-Arabië het weliswaar onlangs by die BRICS+-groepering aangesluit, en marktoegang is deel van die langtermyn-bilaterale verbintenisse met Suid-Afrika. Laasgenoemde het toegang tot uitgesoekte vrugte, wyn, wol, vleis en grane.
Dit is egter Suid-Afrika se mikpunt om marktoegang in BRICS+ vir die meeste van die land se landbouprodukte te bekom. Daarom het Suid-Afrika tydens die 2023 BRICS-beraad handel as ‘n betekenisvolle punt op die agenda geprioritiseer. Politieke beleid het breedweg saamgestem dat die verdieping van handel noodsaaklik vir vir die BRICS+-lande.
Elke land se handel- en landbou-owerhede is egter steeds daarvoor verantwoordelik om die leiding te neem en marktoegang van lidlande na te streef. Die idee van ‘n BRICS+-landbou-handelsooreenkoms waarvoor daar pleidooie was, is nog nie voldoende bespreek nie. Tot dusver was dit die prioriteit vir elke BRICS-lid om invoertariewe te verlaag en die fitosanitêre beperkings waaraan BRICS-lede vir verskillende produkte moet voldoen, aan te spreek.
EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES OPENING UP
Export opportunities for South Africa’s agricultural products are opening up within BRICS+ countries, according to the Agbiz weekly market viewpoint of 6 May 2024.
Over the past two years, China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt have widened market access for various agricultural products from South Africa. Admittedly, Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have recently joined the BRICS+ grouping, and market access is part of the long-term bilateral engagements with South Africa. South Africa has access to selected fruits, wine, wool, meat and grains.
However, South Africa aims to broaden market access in BRICS+ for most of the country’s agricultural products. For this reason, through the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg and the prior engagements, South Africa prioritised trade as a significant point on the agenda for discussion. The political principals broadly agreed that deepening trade was necessary for the BRICS countries.
Still, each country’s trade and agricultural authorities are responsible for taking the lead and seeking market access from member countries. The idea of a BRICS agricultural trade agreement that some argued for has not yet been thoroughly ventilated. The priority so far was for each BRICS member to work to reduce import tariffs and address the phytosanitary constraints for various products that BRICS member countries would present.
