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Our formal work for the year in BRICS begins. Let it be a productive year
Work ahead of the BRICS Summit in India later this year has begun. In a working group I participate in, we will have our first meeting next week.
As in previous years, each working group explores a range of matters for consideration by political leaders later.
From a South African perspective, nothing is more urgent than “trade” within this group on agriculture.
We continue to see BRICS members signing various trade agreements with several countries. The focus now must be on driving intra-BRICS trade internally.
We are a large group, comprising India, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. An agricultural trade agreement within this group would be a game-changer.
Many of the countries in this group are major importers of the various agricultural products. We also have others that are major agricultural exporters. Yet we impose exorbitant tariffs on ourselves.
Yes, we are now still an informal grouping, mainly focusing on political and geopolitical matters, but if we want longevity, we must raise the group’s economic ambition. The starting point is elevating trade matters.
I get that there may be some members with sensitive agricultural industries, but we can find an elegant way to protect those while broadening agricultural trade for other products.
I hope that all countries will share this spirit as the BRICS working groups begin their work for 2026, ahead of the annual Summit in India later in the year.
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