South Africa and AGOA: what is at stake?

The document examines the threat of the United States suspending South Africa's agricultural preferences under AGOA. This tension stems from disputes over anti-dumping duties on US chicken and delays in finalizing veterinary protocols for poultry, beef, and pork imports. While South Africa's total exports to the US exceeded US$8 billion in 2014, with nearly 40% benefiting from AGOA, the agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable. The author argues that the unilateral nature of AGOA creates instability and suggests that South Africa and other African nations should pursue formal negotiated bilateral agreements to ensure greater trade security and avoid the leveraging of preferences to resolve trade disputes.

• The United States threatened to suspend South Africa's agricultural benefits under AGOA because South Africa maintained trade barriers against US exports, specifically regarding agricultural products.
• A primary point of contention involves US chicken exports; South Africa imposed anti-dumping duties to protect domestic producers from meat sold below production costs, while US producers benefited from corn subsidies that lowered their costs.
• Despite a June agreement to allow 65,000 tons of US 'bone-in' chicken, implementation was delayed by disputes over animal health and safety regulations for poultry, beef, and pork, including concerns over avian flu in the US.
• AGOA preferences are significant for South African trade: in 2014, total exports to the US were over US$8 billion (nearly 40% AGOA-benefiting), and agricultural exports were over US$300 million (nearly 75% AGOA-benefiting).
• The author suggests that the unilateral nature of AGOA allows the US to leverage preferences to pressure countries on non-trade issues, such as the Private Security Amendment Bill or intellectual property rights, and recommends moving toward negotiated bilateral agreements for more stability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2015). South Africa and AGOA: what is at stake? https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-agoa-what-is-at-stake/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa and AGOA: what is at stake? 2015. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-agoa-what-is-at-stake/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa and AGOA: what is at stake? |date=27 November 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-agoa-what-is-at-stake/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2015south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa and AGOA: what is at stake?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-agoa-what-is-at-stake/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }