South Africa’s last minute concession on US poultry imports to ensure its inclusion in the recently renewed African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) may have all been in vain as the Americans are now questioning the Zuma administration’s trade practices and its commitment to market principles.
Having finally put its poultry feud with the US to bed, South Africa’s future within Agoa seemed certain, but the country now faces a very real risk of being excluded from the free trade agreement with the world’s biggest market after an unprecedented “out-of-cycle” review was launched by the Americans earlier this month.
The US House of Representatives, which recently passed the Agoa Extension Bill, is questioning South Africa’s eligibility to Agoa. South Africa is the only country specifically named in the text of the Bill, and the concern it raises about the national government’s economic policies are numerous, and valid, says Western Cape Premier Helen Zille. “And it does not look good for us.”
To read the full FTW story, click here.
FTW pick: SA’s Agoa inclusion hangs in the balance – again
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