Farmers Weekly South Africa has published a new episode of its video series AgriView with Wandile, in which agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo examines whether the BRICS group is living up to its promise for South African agriculture.

The starting point is demand. With the BRICS community enlarged and appetite for farm products growing in markets such as China, India and the Middle East, closer trade ties could open valuable openings for South African farmers and agribusinesses.

The episode also sets out what stands in the way: tariff and non-tariff barriers, phytosanitary requirements that exporters must meet before produce is accepted, and the difficulty of reaching agreement inside the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

China takes over the BRICS chair in 2027, and the discussion turns to how dialogue can be converted into economic gains. Sihlobo looks at the role of the BRICS Business Council, the farm priorities member countries are pushing, and why trade matters for food security.

For South Africa, the episode argues, the question is now a practical one: whether BRICS can move beyond geopolitics and deliver market access and export orders for the country's farmers.

Source: Farmers Weekly South Africa