U.S.-SOUTH AFRICA BINATIONAL COMMISSION MEETING
                                              Release No. 0041.97
                                                               
                                                               
                                                               
                                    Tom Amontree (202) 720-4623
                                             TAMONTREE@USDA.GOV
                               Linda Habenstreit (202) 720-9442
                                       HABENSTREIT@FAS.USDA.GOV
                                                               
GLICKMAN TO ATTEND U.S.-SOUTH AFRICA BINATIONAL COMMISSION MEETING

  WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1997--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will travel
to Cape Town, South Africa, as part of the U.S.-South Africa Binational
Commission meetings scheduled for February 14-17, 1997, led by Vice
President Al Gore and South African Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.

  Secretary Glickman and South African Minister of Agriculture and Land
Affairs Derek Andre Hanekom co-chair the Commission's Agriculture Committee,
one of six committees that provides a mechanism for high-level discussions
on issues of mutual interest to both countries.  The other committees are
Human Resources and Development; Trade and Investment; Science and
Technology; Conservation, Environment and Water; and Energy.  The Commission
was established in December 1995 to strengthen relations between the two
countries.

  "The goal of the Commission is to assist this emerging democracy.  It's
our job as the world's strongest democracy.  It's also good business.  Time
and time again, we've seen freer people and freer markets march hand in hand
toward economic growth and prosperity -- creating opportunities for those
who help them along the way,"  Glickman said.
  
  " With all of the reforms underway in South Africa, the United States has
an historic opportunity to help a young democracy become a driving force for
prosperity, stability and food security throughout Africa," Glickman said. 
  
  "Since the 1994 democratic elections, U.S. exports to South Africa are up
70% -- much of the increase in value-added intermediate products,"  Glickman
said.   "Our imports from South Africa are also up 30%.  Last year, the
United States exported $330 million in agricultural, fish and forestry
products to South Africa.  South Africa, in turn, exported $121 million to
the U.S." 

    The delegation will report on the many accomplishments of the
Agriculture Committee including negotiating market opening measures;
establishing trade in citrus and horticultural products; selecting South
African scientists for advanced research training fellowships at U.S.
universities; establishing three cooperative research projects for small-scale farming operations; conducting a successful Agribusiness Trade
Opportunities Forum; sponsoring the first American Foods Pavilion at Food
and Hotel Africa  96; donating 270,000 books to schools and libraries in
South Africa's rural communities;  and exploring joint efforts to stabilize
and conserve South Africa's natural resource base.

   Glickman said there were more projects to be proposed;  helping South
Africa fight against hunger and malnutrition, sharing risk assessment
techniques to ease sanitary/phyto sanitary trade issues, establishing daily
price reports on fresh US fruits and vegetables sold at South African
markets, helping set up a rural village banking system, and sharing real-time weather data.

  While in South Africa, Secretary Glickman will visit the South African
Agriculture Research Center's Fynbos Genebank; view small-scale vegetable,
flower, and trout production projects; meet with officials of South African
and U.S. agricultural trade associations and industry;  see Spier Wine
Estates, one of the largest wine and spirit cooperatives in South Africa;
meet with small and medium-size sugar farms; visit a school and observe its
feeding program.
  
  The Agriculture Committee is comprised of four working groups that
address market access issues, institutional and human resources development,
agricultural technology development for income generation, and
sustainability and agriculture in the rural context. 

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