BRICS ministers attend agricultural summit in Mookgophong
Agriculture was the chosen topic of attendees at the 13th BRICS ministers of agriculture summit held at the Euphoria Golf Estate outside Mookgophong.
At the summit, held from 8 to 12 August, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, hosted her counterparts in the BRICS nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
The mayor of the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality, Sechele Sebolai, was invited to introduce them to local farming initiatives.
Brics is a strategic grouping of the world’s leading emerging market economies. The meeting pursued issues of common interest relating to food security, climate change, rural development, economic challenges, poverty, and population growth.
According to Didiza’s department, BRICS agricultural cooperation aims to improve access to food and increase comprehensive food production.
Sebolai said the meeting made a lasting impression and motivated him to encourage and support local farmers.
“I was privileged to be able to attend this summit on my 29th day of being mayor. Some of our country’s biggest role players in agriculture such as ZZ2 and producers of potatoes and other vegetables and macadamias, who are farming in Limpopo, also attended. They visited some local projects such as Baradipelo Life Stock farmers in our municipality and vegetable farmers in Marken,” he said. “After the summit, I spoke to our MEC of agriculture on how they can assist us. In the Waterberg, we are producers of red meat and there is potential in that. Just look at Sampada and Waltkon. We need more businesses such as these and we need investors. There are many eastern countries that want our products. I think local farmers interested in exporting to these markets must do their homework and check with the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Ledet) on what products are needed.”
He said that the summit gave him a new perspective.
“I think our municipality needs an independent economic advisory body to help grow us economically. We have so much work to do in both the agricultural and tourism areas to extend the potential of the Waterberg region. We must exploit all resources.”
The 15th BRICS summit is shaded in controversy due to the earlier possible attendance of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from 22 to 24 August.
On the forefront of global growth
According to the Nasdaq Stock Market’s website the BRICS countries command 26% of the global gross domestic product.
Population and economic growth is expected to climb drastically during the coming years.
South Africa joined Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2010.
A short overview from the website describes the countries as follows:
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and is poised to be the tenth-largest economy in 2023.
India is the world’s largest democracy and fifth-largest economy in the world.
Russia was the eighth-largest economy in 2022, but due to the Ukraine war will be pushed out of the top ten. Russia is the world’s third-largest producer of petroleum and other combustible liquids behind the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
China’s GDP for 2023 is projected at $19.37 trillion, which will be equivalent to 18.43% of the global GDP. It is the world’s second-largest economy.
South Africa’s transition to democracy since the mid-1990s provided a boost on many counts; however, the country has witnessed stagnation in the last decade and continues to face several challenges. The acute power shortage, inefficiencies in state-owned enterprises and the presence of a huge dual economy continue to weigh on its economic growth.
