TARIFFICATION OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY IMPORTS IN SOUTH AFRICA: A TARIFF POLICY AND STRATEGY / TARIFERING VAN LANDBOUKOMMODITEIT-Invoere in Suid-Afrika: 'N Tariefbeleenid en -Strategie

The objectives of this article are to provide policy makers in agriculture with a tariff policy framework and a tariffication strategy. This is necessary in order to successfully complete the tariffication process and act as a basis for future actions. The Department of Agriculture has officially opted for the implementation of import tariffs on all agricultural products and in so doing signified a dramatic change from the historical policy to protect local industries by means of quantitative import restrictions. It is due to this change in policy direction, as well as South Africa's commitments in terms of the GATT Uruguay Round of multilateral negotiations, that a study of the impact of tariffication on local agricultural marketing arrangements and policy is necessary. It is essential that, given the complexity of the tariffication process, the Department of Agriculture officially adopts a tariff policy and formulates a tariff policy framework which is transparent, administratively easy to manage and ca...