MEDIA RELEASE
SUBJECTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â :Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â AGREEMENT SIGNED TO STRENGTHEN COOPERATION BETWEEN SA AND ARGENTINA AND PREVENT COUNTRIES FROM BEING PUSHED ASIDE INTERNATIONALLY
ISSUED BY : Dr. Pieter Mulder
CAPACITY : Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
DATE : 12 April 2011
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"South Africa and Africa can not allow the European, American and Asian economic power blocks to ignore us and try and attempt to make us irrelevant," Dr. Pieter Mulder, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Mulder and Mr. Julian Dominguez, the Argentinean Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, signed a document in Buenos Aires, aimed at greater cooperation between the two countries. This followed talks between the ministers on agricultural relations between Argentina and South Africa. Dr. Mulder visited Argentina as guest of the Argentinean government.
South-South cooperation between countries of Africa and South America was also discussed against the background of the changing economic and agricultural balance of power in the world.
The signed document sets greater cooperation in the future between South Africa and Argentina with regard to agricultural research and the exchange of technical agricultural knowledge. The practical result of this would be joint research projects about agricultural problems which are identified by both countries as priorities.
Argentina, as a result of their applied agricultural research, succeeded in the past couple of years to change that country from a food-importing country to a food-exporting country. Argentina's 40 million residents currently produce enough food for 400 million people.
After the signing of the agreement, Dr. Mulder said in his reaction that it is important that the bi-lateral trade between the two countries have to be developed to a more equal basis.
"At present the balance is strongly in the favour of Argentina. This agreement has to result in a win-win situation for both countries and the export possibilities of South African farmers have to improve further," according to Dr. Mulder.
DR. PIETER MULDER
Contact no.: 082 674 6670 / 082 777 0202
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