South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies met with his Brazilian counterpart Mr Fernando Pimentel in Brasilia the capital of Brazil to discuss bilateral trade and investment issues such as market access relating to chickens, pork and wines.
Davies noted Brazilian concerns around the recent anti-dumping investigations against Brazilian Chicken imports into South Africa. Earlier this year, South Africa launched an investigation based on a complaint from the chicken industry that Brazilian chicken was being dumped in the country. Brazil was concerned about certain procedural aspects of the investigation and as such called for bilateral consultations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
In the meeting with Pimentel, Davies said that he would assess the matter based on the outcome of the continuing investigation by the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC). The Brazilian side indicated that it understood that South Africa, as a fellow developing country, was also concerned about its domestic Chicken Industry.
With regard to the export of Brazilian pork to South Africa, the Brazilian side welcomed further discussions with the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. Currently Brazilian pork is not allowed to be imported in South Africa (SA) due to outstanding sanitary matters. These include risk mitigation measures related to various pig diseases.
Minister Davies appreciated initiatives by Brazil to ease certain obstacles related to the importation of South African wines, and looked forward to the resolution of the few remaining issues. South African wine exports to Brazil had been experiencing a number of non-tariff barriers in accessing the Brazilian market. It is hoped that the resolution of the remaining issues would assist in expanding our wine export to Brazil.
Minister Pimentel has committed to investigate South African concerns regarding procedural delays related to standards testing and the issuing of certifications, affecting the sale of Automotive Glass, Medical equipment, and Pesticides. In order for these products to be sold in the Brazilian market the government needs to verify that products meet certain standards. However, South African exporters have indicated that these processes were taking too long.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 079 492 1774
Tel: 012 394 1650
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Follow us on Twitter: the_dti
