MINISTER DIDIZA TO ATTEND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION 12TH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURAL NEGOTIATION IN GENEVA

The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza,
MP will from 12 to 16 June 2022 attend the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Ministerial Conference on agricultural negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.
These negotiations are based on Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture, which
provides for the continuation of the negotiations on issues relating to agricultural
support and protection.

The last major decision relating to agricultural negotiations was taken at the Nairobi
WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2015, with the elimination of export
subsidies. At the Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires in December 2017, no joint
declaration or work programme could be agreed upon by the WTO membership.
To date, progress has been limited with members mainly repeating known positions.
The divide remains largely between developed and developing member states.
South Africa’s priority in agricultural negotiations is to achieve a substantial and real
reduction of trade distorting domestic support and to ensure sufficient policy space to
carry out developmental policies that seek to address poverty, inequality and low
economic growth.

For South Africa, the negotiations need to follow a certain sequence with domestic
support as a priority. South Africa’s view is that market access negotiations should start once substantial progress has been made with domestic support. This is to
ensure that historical imbalances are addressed and the playing field is leveled before
engaging in further market access negotiations.

Approximately 70% of South Africa’s agricultural exports are already duty free,
incorporating the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol,
the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union, African Growth
and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with the USA and the African Continental Free Trade
Agreement (this agreement is not yet implemented). South Africa’s major challenges
regarding market access are in the sanitary and phytosanitary field and those are not
negotiated with the Agreement on Agriculture.