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NEP: New Economics Papers
Agricultural Economics
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Edited by: Angelo Zago
http://ideas.repec.org/e/pza49.html
Universita degli Studi di Verona
Date: 2005-10-04
Papers: 8
This document is in the public domain, feel free to circulate it.
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In this issue we have:
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1. The Consequences of Agricultural Trade Liberalization for
Developing Countries: Distinguishing Between Genuine Benefits
and False Hopes
Jean-Christophe Bureau; S?bastien Jean; Alan Matthews
2. USE OF WATER RESOURCE FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN NORTH-
EAST INDIA
Prof. Purusottam Nayak
3. AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND PRICE FLUCTUATIONS: A Case Study of
Production and Prices of Potato in Tripura
Prof. Purusottam Nayak; Prof. P.R. Bhattacharjee
4. Dairy Markets in Asia: An Overview of Recent Findings and
Implications
Beghin, John C.
5. From Bound Duties to Actual Protection: Industrial
Liberalisation in the Doha Round
Hedi Bchir; Lionel Fontagne; Sebastien Jean
6. Common Labels and Market Mechanisms
Boizot-Szantai, Christine; Lecocq, S?bastien; Marette,
St?phan
7. What Can the United States Learn from Spain?s Pork Sector?
Implications from a Comparative Economic Analysis
Lence, Sergio H.
8. LIMITS OF MICRO CREDIT FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A CURSORY LOOK
Prof. Purusottam Nayak; Dr. B. Mishra
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1. The Consequences of Agricultural Trade Liberalization for
Developing Countries: Distinguishing Between Genuine Benefits
and False Hopes
Jean-Christophe Bureau
S?bastien Jean
Alan Matthews
Recent analyses suggest that the impact of agricultural trade
liberalization on developing countries will be very uneven.
Simulations suggest that the effects of agricultural trade
liberalization will be small, overall, and are likely to be
negative for a significant number of developing countries. The
Doha Round focuses on tariff issues, but some developing
countries currently have practically duty-free access to European
and North American markets under preferential regimes.
Multilateral liberalization will erode the benefits of these
preferences, which are presently rather well utilized in the
agricultural sector. While South American and East Asian
countries should benefit from an agricultural agreement, African
and Caribbean countries are unlikely to do so. The main obstacles
to the exports of the sub-Saharan African and Least Developed
Countries appear to be in the non-tariff area (sanitary,
phytosanitary standards) which increasingly originate from the
private sector and are not dealt with under the Doha framework (
traceability requirements, etc.). An agreement in Doha is
unlikely to solve these problems and open large markets for the
poorest countries. While this is not an argument to give up
multilateral liberalization, a more specific and differentiated
treatment should be considered in WTO rules, and corrective
measures should be implemented.
Keywords: Agricultural trade liberalization; WTO; developing
countries
JEL: F13 Q17
Date: 2005-08
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cii:cepidt:2005-13&r=agr
2. USE OF WATER RESOURCE FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN NORTH-
EAST INDIA
Prof. Purusottam Nayak (North-Eastern Hill University)
Water is one of the most vital natural resources used not only
for direct consumption purposes but also as an input in the
process of production in different sectors of the economy of
which agriculture is the most important. One of the salient
characteristics of water is that in addition to the fact of its
being an indispensable input it works as an augmenting input in
agriculture when it is combined with other inputs of production
such as improved seeds (HYV) and fertilizer. Thus it has a
tremendous role to play in agriculture in increasing both
production and productivity. It helps in bringing wasteland under
crops, in adopting multiple cropping practices and in raising
greater quantities of the same crop on the same plot. Most
importantly, irrigation generates an element of stability in
agriculture by partly freeing it from the vagaries of monsoon.
The present work in this regard is an attempt to study the role
and use of water in the agricultural sector in the North Eastern
States.
Keywords: Water Resource and Agricultural Production
JEL: A
Date: 2005-09-26
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwpgt:0509020&r=agr
3. AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND PRICE FLUCTUATIONS: A Case Study of
Production and Prices of Potato in Tripura
Prof. Purusottam Nayak (North-Eastern Hill University)
Prof. P.R. Bhattacharjee
Like industrial development, agricultural growth also requires a
leading sub-sector to generate dynamism in production, capital
formation and technology. A predominantly cash crop like potato
has the potential to play such a leading role in rural
development in North East India. In terms of total production of
energy for human consumption, potato is one of the five major
crops in the world, others being wheat, rice, maize and barley.
On an average, potato yields two times more calories per unit
area than any other cereal. In Tripura also, potato as a crop has
been associated with agricultural diversification and
modernization. The area under cultivation of potato has increased
remarkably during the plan period. The trend in productivity is
also encouraging considering the overall backwardness of
Tripura?s economy especially, the prevalence of peasant and
tribal mode of production in the rural area. In spite of these
encouraging signs, one cannot say that producers are getting
adequate incentive for higher work and investment efforts from
market behaviour. One important obstacle to further development
in respect of potato cultivation is created by price fluctuations
of this agricultural product. It affects both the producer and
the consumer by creating a wide difference between the average
annual price that the consumers pay and the price that the
producers receive. The present paper is intended to be an attempt
to understand the problems associated with growth and price
fluctuations of potato in Tripura. The thrust of the study will
be on the analysis of the nature and causes of price fluctuations
and to suggest measures with a view to ensuing sustained
development in respect of this important agricultural crop.
Keywords: Agricultural Growth and Potato Price Fluctuations
JEL: A
Date: 2005-09-23
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwpgt:0509010&r=agr
4. Dairy Markets in Asia: An Overview of Recent Findings and
Implications
Beghin, John C.
This paper is an overview of important findings regarding the
ongoing evolution of Asian dairy markets based on a series of new
economic investigations. These investigations provide systematic
empirical foundations for assessing Asian dairy markets with
their new consumption patterns, changing industries, and trade
prospects under different domestic and trade policy regimes. The
findings are drawn from four case studies (China, India, Japan,
and Korea), as well as a prospective analysis of future regional
patterns of consumption and a policy analysis of trade
liberalization of Asian dairy markets. The overview distills the
findings of these new investigations and integrates them in the
earlier economic literature; it draws policy implications and
identifies lessons for countries outside of Asia, especially for
emerging exporters in Latin America.
Keywords: Asia, China, dairy, India, Japan, Korea,
liberalization, trade integration.
Date: 2005-09-28
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12424&r=agr
5. From Bound Duties to Actual Protection: Industrial
Liberalisation in the Doha Round
Hedi Bchir
Lionel Fontagne
Sebastien Jean
This study proposes a CGE assessment of multilateral
liberalisation of non-agricultural market access. Scenarios
considered include the so-called Girard proposal (with
alternative choices for the involved coefficient), the removal of
tariff peaks and complete liberalisation. This study is the first
one to take duly into account the difference between bound and
applied tariffs, while accounting for all enforced preferential
trade arrangements and computing tariff cuts at the detailed
product level (HS-6 classification). While non-agricultural
market access liberalisation is found to be welfare-enhancing at
the world level, cross-country distributive impacts prove
significant. A soft liberalisation would not lower significantly
applied duties in developing countries, due to their significant
binding overhang. In contrast, a deep liberalisation would entail
fierce price-competition between developing countries, largely
specialised on similar sectors and on the same quality range.
Keywords: Doha development agenda; applied tariffs; preferential
trade agreements; binding overhang; computable general
equilibrium model
JEL: D58 F12 F13
Date: 2005-07
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cii:cepidt:2005-12&r=agr
6. Common Labels and Market Mechanisms
Boizot-Szantai, Christine
Lecocq, S?bastien
Marette, St?phan
In this article, the impact of common labels is investigated
with both theoretical and empirical approaches. Recent statistics
regarding the egg market in France suggest that retailer brands
largely adopt common labels. A simple theoretical framework
enables us to determine the conditions under which producers
and/or retailers with different product qualities decide to post
a common label on their products. In particular, a situation of
multiple equilibria (one where the label is used by the high-
quality seller only and one where it is used by the low-quality
seller only) is exhibited when the cost of the label is
relatively large. The demand is then estimated for different
segments of the French egg market, including producer/retailer
brands with/without common labels. The estimates are used to
derive expenditure and price elasticities and allow us to
calculate welfare measures revealing a relatively large
willingness-to-pay for labels.
Keywords: competition, demand estimation, labels, product
differentiation.
Date: 2005-09-28
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12422&r=agr
7. What Can the United States Learn from Spain?s Pork Sector?
Implications from a Comparative Economic Analysis
Lence, Sergio H.
This study provides a comparative economic analysis of the
primary production of pork and its marketing channel in Spain and
the United States. The focus on Spain is due to the profound
growth and transformation of its pork sector over the last 20
years, compared with other major players in the world market for
pig meat. The analysis reveals a number of similar
characteristics but also important differences between the two
countries. The significant expansion of Spain?s pork production
sector stemmed from a number of factors that apply, to a
relatively large extent, to some U.S. states (in particular,
North Carolina) but do not apply to the U.S. pork production
sector as a whole. This implies that it is unlikely that the U.S.
pork production sector as a whole will mimic an expansion driven
by the same type of factors in the future. Likewise, it seems
highly unlikely that the U.S. consumption of pig meat will expand
in the future based on the same driving forces behind the sharp
increase in Spain?s domestic demand for pig meat over the last
20 years. The analysis also indicates that Spanish pig producers
are currently being subjected to more stringent environmental and
animal welfare regulations than their U.S. counterparts and that
these regulations are becoming increasingly more restrictive. It
would not be surprising to see similar trends emerging in the
United States, leading to a substantially more restrictive
regulatory environment for U.S. hog producers.
Keywords: comparative analysis, hog marketing channel, Spain
pork industry, U.S. pork industry.
Date: 2005-09-27
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12421&r=agr
8. LIMITS OF MICRO CREDIT FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A CURSORY LOOK
Prof. Purusottam Nayak (North Eastern Hill University)
Dr. B. Mishra (North Eastern Hill University)
In recent years, most of the countries across the globe are in a
sweeping mood to promote micro finance institutions not only as a
positive rural development intervention but also as a rural
development panacea. Allured by the success of micro credit
institutions in developed countries, the developmental economists
in under developed and developing economies have increasingly
become enthusiastic in the promotion of micro credit as a rural
development intervention by tying it neatly with post-liberal
development ideology. In the Indian context, the frenzied
promotional activity of the micro credit institutions derive in
part from the political slogan of ?Garibi Hatao? of the Union
Government in mid 70?s by the establishment of Grameen Banks
which were the offshoot of the putative success of Developmental
Financial Institutions in the West. Although the basic philosophy
behind the micro credit movement is to eradicate poverty as it
stimulates the growth of micro enterprises by developing new
markets and by promoting a culture of entrepreneurship, it
involves minimal state intervention, thereby shifting the focus
of attention away from the society towards individuals. The
experience of micro credit schemes in Asia, Africa and South
America describes altogether a different story by negating this
particular aspect of development intervention. This serves the
starting point of the present paper in considering micro credit
as the limiting factor of rural development intervention. No
doubt, the limits arise from the individualistic focus of the
intervention. Keeping consistency with the title of the paper, it
not only explores the limitations of micro credit as a rural
development intervention through a survey of literatures but also
makes an attempt to bring to the focus the concept of rural micro
finance in which the issues of credit markets and the poor are
explored. The objective of bringing the above discussion to the
forefront is to assess the potential impact of micro finance
institutions as development interventions. Finally, attempt is
made to look at the conditions which limit the effectiveness of
micro finance institutions as development interventions in
different parts of the globe including India.
Keywords: Micro Credit Rural Development
JEL: A
Date: 2005-09-29
URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwpgt:0509021&r=agr
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