The Global Food Value Chain and Competition Law and Policy in BRICS Countries: Insights from Selected Value Chains in South Africa

Abstract

This working paper forms part of South Africa’s contributions to the BRICS Joint Working Group on Food and Agro-processing’s overarching report on ‘The Global Food Value Chain and Competition Law and Policy in BRICS countries’. Constituted by the competition authorities of the BRICS countries, in collaboration with universities and research centres, the Working Group’s overarching report aims to first provide an overview of key developments in various segments of global food value chains in the BRICS countries and to then focus in more detail on the impact of the recent consolidation in plant protection and seeds segments of value chains. This working paper contributes to the overarching report by providing an overview of developments and competition concerns in the following food and food-related segments in South Africa: 1) Seeds; 2) Fertilizers; 3) Animal feed and poultry; 4) Maize and wheat milling; 5) Dairy; and 6) Retail. These value chains were selected because of their importance as critical inputs into food production and given their significance as part of a typical food basket for consumers in southern Africa. These food products are increasingly retailed through supermarkets in the region. The selected value chains are also important because they have the potential to promote value addition and industrialisation in the region. We employ a framework that allows for the evaluation of competition and regulatory dynamics in agro-processing value chains using a regional value chain (RVC) approach, alongside the global value chain (GVC) approach which has been employed for a range of products including agricultural commodities and cash crops.