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With the recent expansion of the grouping, it now represents a significant portion of global trade and population. As India prepares to chair the forthcoming , there is an opportunity to leverage agricultural complementarities within the bloc. The focus is shifting from mere trade volume to building resilient mechanisms, such as trusted trade infrastructure, secure input supply chains, market intelligence, and farmer-centric value chains.
The expansion of BRICS significantly alters the global economic landscape, particularly in agricultural trade. The expanded bloc now accounts for roughly 40% of global GDP and 25% of global trade. The article highlights the strategic importance of agriculture, noting that disruptions in food or fertilizer supplies have immediate, widespread impacts. The agricultural complementarities among member nations are a key advantage: Brazil (soybean, meat), Russia (grains, fertilizers), India (rice, spices), and China (importer/processor) each offer distinct strengths. Furthermore, new members like the UAE and Saudi Arabia bring crucial logistics and finance capabilities. To operationalize these strengths, the focus must shift to building trusted trade infrastructure. This involves implementing the 2024 BRICS Principles on Trade Facilitation in Agriculture, focusing on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) cooperation, interoperable digital certificates, and digital trade facilitation to lower costs.
From an International Relations perspective, the agricultural agenda within BRICS is highly strategic. Food security is intimately linked with national security and geopolitical stability. India's reliance on BRICS members for over half of its fertilizer and energy imports makes input supply chain resilience critical. The article underscores that geopolitical crises, such as those in West Asia, can disrupt production before food even reaches markets. Therefore, cooperation must extend beyond final products to encompass fertilizers, energy, seeds, and logistics. A proposed mechanism is an early-warning system for input markets to mitigate sudden disruptions. The idea of a BRICS Grain Exchange is also significant, aiming to improve transparency and price discovery, thereby reducing vulnerability to global market shocks and enhancing collective food security preparedness.
The social dimension of this agricultural trade strategy focuses on making trade farmer-centered and inclusive. If agricultural trade only benefits large-scale commodity flows, its developmental impact is limited. The article stresses the need to integrate smallholder farmers, particularly women and rural youth, into value chains. This aligns with the goals of the upcoming Global Conference on Women in Agri-Food Systems (GCWAS) 2026 and its Delhi Declaration, which centers women's agency in agri-food transformation. India can lead this agenda by leveraging its experience with smallholder agriculture and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). By ensuring that smallholders are not just producers but active participants in value chains, the BRICS agricultural strategy can foster inclusive growth and rural development, ensuring that trade policies benefit those at the base of the agricultural pyramid.