Mutual interest in enhancing cooperation in the agricultural and industrial spheres with the Eurasian Economic Union was outlined by Elias Monage, President of the Black Business Council of South Africa, Mtho Xulu, President of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Lehlogonolo Masoga, Chief Executive Officer of the "Musina-Makhado" FEZ, during their working meetings with Armen Harutyunyan, Director of the Agricultural Policy Department, and Nikolay Kushnarev, Director of the Industrial Policy Department.
As part of the negotiations with representatives of business circles and agro-industrial exporting companies of South Africa, the prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture between the EAEU Member States and South Africa, as well as issues of expanding the access of agricultural products and food produced in the EAEU to third markets were discussed.
"It is obvious that our countries have potential, and the availability of resources and joint actions open up great opportunities for increasing mutual trade turnover and deepening partnership relations between the EAEU States and South Africa to ramp up competitive production, develop exports of high-tech agricultural products and attract investments in cooperative projects included in the EAEU Agro-Industry Development Map," Armen Harutyunyan emphasized during the meeting.
Besides, some issues of crop and seed production development, including the use of innovative technologies to improve the efficiency of agriculture, competitiveness of crop products in the EAEU internal market and third markets were discussed with representatives of the South African business circles.
"We propose to look into the possibility of using South Africa as a platform for implementing development programs in the South African countries, in particular on the transfer of technologies and best practices operating in the Union in the field of manufacturing industry and the agricultural sector," Armen Harutyunyan noted.
The business meetings with the South African side also considered the possibilities of industrial cooperation and building joint work to increase the production capacity of the South African manufacturing industry.
"Finished products, machinery and equipment from the EAEU are highly competitive and well-proven in the African market," Nikolay Kushnarev stated. "There is an untapped trade and economic potential, which can be ramped up by developing active interaction through direct contacts between representatives of business circles".
