Files
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to present a survey of trade issues in agriculture from the
perspective of developing countries. Developing countries are a large percentage of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, and agriculture is critical for their
economic growth, poverty alleviation, food security, and environmental sustainability.
First, this paper identifies trends in production, consumption, and trade of food and
agriculture over the last four decades. Some of the significant developments food and
agricultural trade is the emergence of oilseeds and fruits and vegetables, which are
becoming the main exports from developing countries, replacing traditional exports such
as sugar, coffee and cocoa. The trends show also a worsening of developing countries'
net trade position due in part to income growth and population pressures, but also to
economic policies in general, and trade policies in particular, both in developing and
industrialized countries.
Second, this paper focuses on some of the main development issues linked to the WTO
agricultural negotiations. The objective is to align the different legal components and
subcomponents of the negotiations under the Agreement on Agriculture, with developing
countries' final objectives of sustainable economic growth, poverty alleviation, and food
security.
This paper concludes that the problems for developing countries are not mainly legal
constraints under the AoA, but the lack of financial and human resources and institutional
capabilities. To link negotiations to their development goals, developing countries must
consider the issue of funding. Finally, developing countries, most of which have
embarked in unilateral liberalization over the last decade, should ask significant down-payments
in the reduction of the higher levels of protection and subsidies in
industrialized countries.