To begin with, agriculture is an essential item on the BRICS agenda, as the Group traditionally included the world’s largest agricultural producers and was recently joined by the major food-importing countries, those more vulnerable to the price dynamics on the global markets (Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia). With the new member states’ domestic stability being dependent on food security matters, agricultural cooperation seems to become even more important within the BRICS agenda, as the Western sanctions against Russia have jeopardized the global supply chains of agricultural products and fertilizers.

In this context, we expect the member states to further develop agricultural cooperation platforms under Brazil’s Presidency in 2025. Prioritizing this track might entail the establishment of an alternative trade and food security infrastructure that would ensure an intra-BRICS sustainable food supply chain without the global grain traders’ involvement (Russia laid the foundation for creating an independent pricing infrastructure by introducing the BRICS Grain Exchange Initiative).

Therefore, the agricultural sphere seems to be a natural driver for accelerating intra-BRICS cooperation and consolidating its role as the pillar of the Global South's efforts to ensure sustainable agricultural supply chains and food security amid the ongoing sanctions standoff that is likely to directly affect the “neutral” BRICS member states as the current geopolitical crisis escalates.

For more implications for the BRICS 2024: Agricultural Track within the BRICS Agenda, see our memo below.