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Agri SA said the country’s leadership of the G20 presents an opportunity for local agriculturalists to shape critical business dialogue, while presenting opportunities to the sector to drive growth and food security.
The organisation was commenting after South Africa assumed the presidency of the Group of 20 and the Business 20 this week.
Chief executive, Johann Kotze, said agricultural trade between South Africa and the G20 market in 2023, amounted to R134 billion or 55% of total agricultural exports.
He said central to the discussion on agriculture in the G20, should be the impact of climate adaptation, net-zero transition plans, and the embedding of sustainability requirements into trade conditions.
“South African agriculturists are already committed to farming nature positively and have an intuitive awareness of climate adaptation and environmental impact.
In many value chains, there are various standards that cover various sustainability factors that we should use as mechanisms to further bolster our efforts and demonstrate our existing progress to further greening agriculture.”
According to Kotzé South Africa is by no means perfect in its efforts, but it is critical that the country remains mindful of how transition plans affect the sustainability of the African food system as well as the future of food in the G20 markets.
“It’s not just about access, we need to address the various non-tariff issues that exports often face such as cold treatment and packaging requirements.
“In the case of the livestock industry, acknowledging the role that certain treatment and compartment protocols fulfil in managing animal health challenges is critical,” Kotze said.
He said as South Africa prepares to set forth its agenda, AgriSA is calling for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to develop actionable priorities that align with the broader G20 objectives.
