Countries No 1. United Republic of Tanzania: rice, maize and dairy products
Annual import data reveal a doubling in rice and dairy imports during the period 1997 to 2004.
However, to allow accurate identification, the incidence of surges needs to be analyzed at the disaggregate product level and associated with stakeholder perceptions and government responses. The causes of surges are often internal to the country - for example, changes in trade policy, domestic market liberalization and trends in foreign direct investment can all be linked to surges in imports. ? Within sectors, stakeholder perceptions of the injury caused by surges differ widely. Government responses have been influenced by the political weight of different stakeholder lobbies. Competition for market share is a key indicator of potential injury, but the definition of market share needs to be clarified. Often a surge can affect certain market segments but not others. Indicators of price competition can be problematic given the wide range of unit import values recorded on consignments from different exporting countries and reflecting different qualities. Data limitations which cause severe difficulties in the identification of surges and the documentation of injury need to be overcome, inter alia by developing a stronger trade surveillance system.
