The Brics grouping brings together countries with an extraordinary range of economic strengths. Its members include some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing markets, major centres of manufacturing and technology, and producers of food and energy. Some also have significant mineral resources and a growing base of capital, skills and entrepreneurship.
With its expanded membership, these strengths have become even more diverse. An opportunity lies in connecting them more closely and building partnerships that contribute to growth and resilience across all economies.
India’s Brics chairship in 2026 offers an opportunity to advance this agenda. We must move from broad intent to practical collaboration. This is especially relevant at a time when businesses are adapting to changing supply chains, rapid technological shifts and a more uncertain international environment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined the importance of Brics as a platform responsive to the aspirations of the Global South. In recent Brics deliberations, he has also highlighted the need for demand-driven development finance, stronger agricultural research cooperation, reliable supply chains for critical minerals and technology, and responsible as well as inclusive use of artificial intelligence (AI).
These priorities provide an important context for the business community as well.
There is considerable scope to bring these capabilities together in ways that create new commercial openings while strengthening our collective resilience. Consider something as fundamental as food, fuel and fertilizers. Brics includes major producers and consumers of all three.
Add to this our strengths in critical minerals, manufacturing, technology and services, and the complementarities become even more apparent. Greater trade, investment and business partnerships within the grouping can help make supply chains more diverse and dependable, while also contributing to the economic resilience of the wider Global South.
Agriculture is an area where cooperation among the member countries can make a meaningful difference. The Brics countries collectively account for a significant part of global agricultural production and consumption.
At the same time, farmers across Brics economies face similar questions: how do we produce more with finite natural resources, improve soil health and water efficiency, respond to a changing climate and reduce losses? Policymakers have another question: how to make new technologies affordable for farmers? These shared challenges also create opportunities to learn from one another.
One idea that holds considerable promise is the creation of centres of excellence that draw upon the particular strengths and experience available across members. These could facilitate research, training and exchange of best practices in areas such as water and soil management, fertilizer-use efficiency, biosecurity and climate-smart agriculture.
There is considerable value in such cooperation. Connecting researchers, businesses, institutions and farmers can help accelerate this exchange. This is also true for agricultural technology. Across Brics, young companies are helping farms adapt to the changing needs of farming. A stronger network connecting agri-tech communities could take promising technologies further and scale faster.
The aim should be to see an agri-tech solution developed for farmers in India find application in other Brics markets, just as innovations emerging elsewhere find their way into Indian agriculture.
This is the practical promise of South-South cooperation: sharing experiences, adapting solutions to local conditions and building capabilities. Agriculture is just one example. Opportunities exist across manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, finance and skill development.
For businesses, useful advances can come from making it progressively easier to operate across markets. Cooperation on standards and certification, digital trade documentation, logistics and access to market information can facilitate trade. The objective need not be identical systems across Brics. Greater interoperability in areas where there is a clear business case can make a substantial difference by itself.
Investment is equally important. Brics economies have enormous requirements of it for infrastructure, manufacturing, energy transitions and new technologies, and also possess substantial pools of capital.
The New Development Bank, national development finance institutions and private financial institutions can together help connect viable projects with long-term finance. Innovative approaches to risk sharing and blended finance can widen the range of projects that are able to attract investment.
Technology will increasingly connect all these areas. AI and digital technologies are already changing agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, financial services and healthcare. Brics can encourage greater collaboration among its businesses, startups and research institutions, while contributing to the development of technologies that are accessible and relevant to the needs of emerging economies.
The grouping has remarkable resources and capabilities. By connecting these strengths more closely, it can create greater opportunities for all and contribute to a more resilient, inclusive and prosperous Global South.
The author is chair, Brics Business Council India, and chairman and group CEO, UPL Ltd.