08 September 2010

Policy Development and Research

Agricultural Policy

Member States recognize the importance of the agricultural sector to their economies and agree to cooperate on agricultural policies in order to ensure the coordinated development of the agricultural sector within the Common Customs Area. This is explicitly set out in Article 39 of the 2002 SACU Agreement, dealing with agricultural policy development.

There will be an audit inventory among Member States in cooperation with the SACU Secretariat. This process will involve collating existing policies, policy processes, and sectoral competitiveness of Member States. This exercise will identify areas where policy harmonization already exists and where gaps in policies and potential policy conflicts occur. The audit will assist in developing a coordinated policy framework.

As part of drafting a coordinated policy framework on agriculture and to implement Article 39 of the 2002 SACU Agreement, prioritization will be considered for policies that are directly related to and facilitating production, processing, marketing and trade in agriculture products.