Minister Senzeni Zokwana and Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini participated at the BRICS Ministers of Agriculture and Agrarian Development meeting that was held in Brasilia, Brazil on 13 March 2015. The objective of the gathering was to look into what was agreed on in the Action Plan 2012 – 2016. This plan committed the Ministers to promote agricultural cooperation and exchange information on strategies to ensure access to food for all, especially the most vulnerable populations of their countries, reduce the negative impact of climate change on food security and adaptation of agriculture to climate change.
On the same day, the BRICS countries agreed on a Joint Declaration of the 4th Meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Agriculture and Agrarian Development. The Ministers have acknowledged that the BRICS countries have made a fundamental contribution to world food security, given that a sizable majority of 209 million men and women who have been lifted out of food insecurity in the past two decades come from the BRICS countries as reported in the Food and Agriculture Organization report of 2014—“The State of Food Insecurity in the World.’’
In his speech that he delivered at this meeting, Minister Zokwana said, “South Africa welcomes the proposal to increase our activities in relation to increasing trade opportunities and market access between the BRICS countries through promotional activities as well as reducing barriers to agricultural markets. We strongly support the intent laid out in the declaration in regard to closer cooperation in respect to levelling the playing fields within the multilateral trade negotiation process at the WTO.’’
Next week the Minister will be in the Republic of Belarus where he will meet with his counterpart, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Mr L.K. Zayats, where they will look into, among others, the working relations between the two countries on agriculture.
For more information please contact:
Mr Steve Galane
Ministerial Spokesperson
Cell: 076 316 5487
