Improving the Value and Effective Utilization of Agricultural Trade Preferences

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© FAO 2003

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PREFERENCES IN A CHANGING ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

A. Changes in the international trading environment
B. The domestic environment in developing countries: Production and export performance of agriculture and food industries

III. EFFECTS OF PREFERENCES

A. Overview
B. Effects of preferences: review of experience
C. Agricultural trade and the effects of the GSP after the Uruguay Round
D. Trade effects of ACP preferences
E. Effects on diversification
F. Production effects of preferences
G. Preferences and investments
H. Preferences, income and poverty alleviation
I. Preferences and food security
J. Effects on economic growth and development

IV. MARKET PROSPECTS

A. Trends in consumer demand
B. Prospects likely to derive from the Doha Round
C. Prospects likely to derive from Regional Economic Partnership Agreements and the “Everything But Arms” scheme of the European Union
D. Prospects deriving from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and other recent improvements in preferential arrangements of the United States
E. Supply-side policies

V. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREFERENCES

A. Factors inherent in the preference schemes: preference margins, rules of origin and other systemic aspects
B. Factors related to supply capacities
C. Export capacities and export policies
D. Effective market access

VI. CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

STATISTICAL ANNEX

Table 1: EU imports of agricultural products from developing countries receiving GSP preferences, in 1996- 2000)
Table 2: Agricultural and fishery imports of EU from ACP countries and Mediterranean Free Trade Area partners
Table 3: Growth of agricultural production and exports in developing countries
Table 4.1: Agricultural Exports from Côte d’Ivoire to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.2:Agricultural exports from Senegal to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.3: Agricultural exports from Kenya to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.4: Agricultural exports from Zambia to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.5: Agricultural exports from Zimbabwe to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.6: Agricultural exports from Ghana to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.7: Agricultural exports from Bangladesh to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 4.8: Agricultural exports from Costa Rica to the EU, 1996-1999
Table 5. EU Trading opportunities for ACP: Import Growth and preferences

ANNEXES

ANNEX I. Countries proposed for the first phase of case studies
ANNEX II. FAO Survey on the impact of agricultural preferences, terms of reference, consultant, exporting countries
ANNEX III. FAO Survey on the Impact of agricultural preferences, terms of reference, consultant, importing countries
ANNEX IV. Experiences with agricultural preferences questionnaire: farmers, farmers’ organizations
ANNEX V. Impact of agricultural preferences, questionnaire: processing industry, import trading companies, retailers in the EU
ANNEX VI. Impact of agricultural preferences, questionnaire: processing industry, export trading companies

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