As South Africa prepares to participate in the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, the country is focusing on expanding its agricultural exports.
One of South Africa’s primary goals at the summit is to advocate for the reduction and elimination of trade tariffs among BRICS member states, as reported by Pretoria News, a partner of TV BRICS.
Thabile Nkunjana, a senior economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, highlighted that South Africa’s involvement in the XVI BRICS+ Summit should be aimed at opening up new markets for agricultural exports, particularly in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
South Africa is particularly interested in engaging with China and India, both of which are significant importers of agricultural products that align with South African exports.
In addition, South Africa is actively seeking to identify unused land that can be developed for agriculture, which could create new jobs within the sector. The recent inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as new BRICS members presents an opportunity to broaden South Africa’s agricultural export reach. Strengthening relations with these countries is crucial for South Africa to enhance its trade policy and build confidence in its agricultural sector.
