Release No. 0163.96 Tom Amontree (202) 720-4623 Linda Habenstreit (202) 720-9442 GLICKMAN CITES SUCCESSES OF FIRST U.S.-SOUTH AFRICA BINATIONAL COMMISSION'S AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE MEETING WASHINGTON, April 1, 1996--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today said that the first bilateral meeting of the U.S.-South Africa Binational Commission's Agriculture Committee achieved many of its goals. "It was a pleasure to meet with South African Agriculture Minister Andr‚ van Niekerk, Ambassador Franklin Sonn, and members of the South African delegation," said Glickman. "This first business meeting served to get the Agriculture Committee up and running. We addressed and clarified many organizational issues that will now enable us to work more closely and cooperatively together on mutually beneficial initiatives. Both Agriculture Minister van Niekerk and I were pleased with the progress made and will report our accomplishments to the chairpersons of the Binational Commission -- Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., and South African Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki -- at the next commission meeting, proposed for July 9," he said. Glickman said the committee's accomplishments included agreement to sign a Terms of Reference (TOR) by the next commission meeting. The TOR describes the functions and organizational structure of the committee. Also agreed to was the formation of four working groups to address agricultural issues related to market access, institutional development, technology to create wealth, and sustainable development. Discussions are already underway to develop initiatives by each working group. Proposed initiatives include exchanging and sharing information with counterparts in both countries through joint seminars, forums, and projects. The private sectors of both countries will be included, where appropriate, so that trade and investment opportunities between the United States and South Africa can be expanded. Along these lines, a U.S.-South Africa agribusiness forum was held on March 27, attracting 72 U.S. and South African agribusiness representatives. The forum -- the first activity of the Agriculture Committee -- gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and information with one another and with speakers from the private and public sectors about doing business in South Africa. Topics discussed included public and private financing, food safety requirements for export and import, transportation of food products, and opportunities for U.S. high-value, intermediate, and bulk products. "A driving force behind the Agriculture Committee's decision to hold this forum was the need to respond to the enormous amount of inquiries from U.S. agribusinesses interested in doing business in South Africa," said Glickman. "Since the birth of South Africa's democratic, non-apartheid government in mid-1994, these inquiries have escalated. This forum helped answer many of the questions U.S. agribusiness had about trade with South Africa and opened doors for future collaboration." The Agriculture Committee was established in December 1995 under the auspices of the U.S.-South Africa Binational Commission, headed by U.S. Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., and South Africa's Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki. Secretary Glickman and South African Minister van Niekerk co-chair the committee. The committee provides a framework for facilitating discussion, cooperation, and initiatives in the areas of agricultural trade, investment and development; rural economic and community development; marketing, regulation, and safety of food products; food and nutrition; natural resources; and agricultural economics, extension, and research. In addition to agriculture, the other committees of the Binational Commission cover trade and investment, human resources development and education, sustainable minerals and energy, science and technology, and conservation and the environment. # NOTE: USDA news release and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov