What tariffs and quotas hinder export of South African products and thereby economic growth?
TR: Its an interplay of domestic and foreign factors, with the main issue being agriculture. Sugar quotas in the EU hamper export of South African sugar and so do subsidies given to European, American, Canadian and Japanese farmers. South African farmers dont receive the same support. There are also a few sanitary issues of South African agricultural products. The EU, for instance, is discussing stopping imports of South African ostrich meat, which is a one billion rand [$125 million] industry [because some abattoirs didnt meet EU sanitation standards]. This points towards deficiencies in the South African governance system that should be solved quickly. Another point of hindrance is restrictions on South African trade with other developing markets, such as India and China. India has one of the highest tariffs on agricultural products in the world. IPS: How successful has South Africa been in working towards debt relief? TR: When South Africa became a democracy, its macro-economic deci
