Developing a Comprehensive IBSA Strategy on WTO Agriculture Negotiations

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) analyzes South Africa's (SA) positions and strategy within the World Trade Organization (WTO) agricultural trade negotiations. It examines the domestic policy-making processes, the influence of stakeholders like Agri SA, and SA's role in international coalitions including the G20, the Cairns Group, and the African Group. The document details SA's specific stances on the three pillars of agriculture negotiations: market access, domestic support, and export competition, while recommending greater transparency and more detailed identification of specific domestic offensive and defensive interests.

• South Africa's trade policy is primarily managed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), supported by the National Department of Agriculture. The government employs a consultative model involving the Agricultural Trade Forum and the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), though some civil society groups feel these processes lack openness and that policy is often established before consultations occur.
• South Africa maintains membership in three key international coalitions: the Cairns Group, which seeks to liberalise agricultural trade; the G20, which represents a 'middle ground' for developing countries; and the African Group. SA often acts as 'glue' within the G20 to maintain group cohesion due to having fewer domestic interests at stake compared to Brazil and India.
• Regarding market access, South Africa supports 'proportionality', meaning developing countries should make smaller reduction commitments than developed nations. While it opposes the concept of 'sensitive products' and prefers a firm tariff reduction formula, it supports the self-designation of 'Special Products' for developing countries to protect vulnerable sectors.
• Domestic support is considered the most important issue for South Africa. The country advocates for substantial reductions in trade-distorting support from developed countries, specifically targeting the US and EU, and opposes 'box-shifting' where support is simply moved between different WTO categories to avoid disciplines.
• South Africa strongly advocates for the rapid elimination of all export subsidies. Although it joined a consensus for a 2013 deadline, it initially supported a G20 proposal to eliminate direct export subsidies within five years (by 2010).
• South Africa's position on preferences differs from many other African Group members. While others seek to maintain preferential access to European markets, South Africa believes long-term focus should be on liberalisation and making agricultural sectors more competitive through capacity-building.
• The report identifies a gap in South Africa's institutional capacity compared to India and Brazil, noting that the DTI website provides very little information on WTO positions, whereas the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry provides extensive resources.
• The report recommends that South Africa improve transparency by releasing more information on its WTO positions via the DTI website and should more precisely identify the specific sectors or products that constitute its offensive or defensive domestic interests.

APA

-1, & Grant, C. (2006). Developing a Comprehensive IBSA Strategy on WTO Agriculture Negotiations. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/11-Trade-Report-No-11.pdf

Chicago

-1, and Catherine Grant. Developing a Comprehensive IBSA Strategy on WTO Agriculture Negotiations. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2006. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/11-Trade-Report-No-11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=-1 |last2=Grant |first2=Catherine |title=Developing a Comprehensive IBSA Strategy on WTO Agriculture Negotiations |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2006 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/11-Trade-Report-No-11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{12006developing, author = {-1 and Grant, Catherine}, title = {{Developing a Comprehensive IBSA Strategy on WTO Agriculture Negotiations}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/11-Trade-Report-No-11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }