Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies is looking at ways to boost South Africa’s manufactured exports to its Brics partner countries, and is coordinating a joint research study on how to boost value-added trade among the bloc’s member countries.

Speaking at a public dialogue held by the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Davies said South Africa had undertaken to coordinate the study through its chairing of the Contact Group for Economic and Trade Issues set up at the Brics summit in Sanya in 2011.

The study stems from the Brics summit in Durban last month, where trade and industry ministers from Brics member countries agreed to boost complementary trade in value-added products among the member countries.

Brics is targeting to double intra-Brics trade by 2015 – from the current $230-billion to $500-billion.

South Africa’s share of trade with Brics countries had increased from 10% in 2005 to 18% in 2012, while the country’s trade with fellow Brics countries was up 12% last year over 2011, against declines in trade with the country’s traditional markets of Japan, the EU and US, said Davies.

However, Davies said the majority of South Africa’s exports to Brics countries, particularly to China and India, consisted largely of raw materials rather than higher value processed goods.

For example, iron-ore topped its exports to China, while South Africa imported mainly valued-added products from the Asian giant, with cell phones topping the imports.

To address this, South Africa had last year given the Chinese government a list of ten value-added products. Two exhibitions had been held with China – with the first exhibition having resulted in R400-million in sales of South African products, mostly wine.

Davies said China had also been provided with a list of 10 major projects, among those beneficiation plants, which include a Manganese sinter.

Davies said the Brics Business Council, which is being chaired by South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, would include a programme on support for small businesses and another on trade and export between Brics countries.

The group is also looking at promoting key trade and investment issues among member countries.

Commenting on reports that Nigeria’s economy – which is currently being rebased – may overtake South Africa’s, Davies said he wasn’t fazed if Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) overtook South Africa’s.

He said what was good for Nigeria would be good for Africa, adding that South African companies were a major investor in Nigeria, and that he and his colleague in Nigeria, Trade and Industry Minister Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga, shared a vision of industrialising Africa.