South-South Economic Co-operation: The India-Brazil-South Africa Case

This 2006 report analyzes trade and investment barriers between South Africa, India, and Brazil. It finds that while trade is growing, particularly between South Africa and Brazil, it remains hampered by high tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and a lack of awareness among the business sector regarding the IBSA initiative. The report recommends reducing customs duties, improving infrastructure, and involving the private sector in trade agreement implementation.

• Trade between South Africa and India is characterized as very low, with bilateral trade growing by only 1.334% over a decade to reach $700 million in 2002, representing just over 1% of the total trade for both nations. To address this, the two countries have engaged in discussions for a bilateral preferential trade agreement (PTA) targeting tariff reductions on 2,000 products, excluding sensitive items.
• Trade between South Africa and Brazil grew by 268% from 1994 to 2002, reaching $660 million. In December 2004, South Africa and its Southern African Customs Union (SACU) partners signed a Fixed Tariff Preference (FTP) agreement with Mercosur, which designates 2,000 products for tariff liberalisation using a sector-by-sector approach.

APA

Soko, M. (2006). South-South Economic Co-operation: The India-Brazil-South Africa Case. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/12Trade-Report-No-12_final.pdf

Chicago

Soko, Mills. South-South Economic Co-operation: The India-Brazil-South Africa Case. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2006. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/12Trade-Report-No-12_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Soko |first1=Mills |title=South-South Economic Co-operation: The India-Brazil-South Africa Case |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2006 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/12Trade-Report-No-12_final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{soko2006southsouth, author = {Soko, Mills}, title = {{South-South Economic Co-operation: The India-Brazil-South Africa Case}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/12Trade-Report-No-12_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }