The Ministerial Decision on Export Competition introduced prohibitions to agricultural export subsidies. It foresees the elimination of export subsidies in different timeframes for developed and developing countries. Specific exceptions have been agreed upon for some products and for particular developed and developing members. The Decision also covers the other three elements (namely Export Credits and Guarantees, International Food Aid and State Trading Enterprises) of the Export Competition p illar. While...

This policy brief provides an overview of the different food security objectives that underlie the use of trade and related policy measures, based on Chapter 3 of the State of Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2016.

This policy brief provides an overview of the different food security objectives that underlie the use of trade and related policy measures, based on Chapter 3 of the State of Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2016.

This policy brief provides an overview of the trends in agricultural trade, and the implications for food security, based on Chapter 1 of the State of Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2016.

This brief is in continuation of the "Trade Policy Briefs" (link: http://www.fao.org/economic/est/publications/trade-policy-briefs/en/ ) of which the last issue was No.16.

In December 2013, agreement was reached on a small number of issues under negotiation in the long-running Doha Round of WTO Negotiations. The set of issues, broadly known as the Bali package after the location of the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference during which the agreement was reached, comprised three main components, one of which related to the use of public procurement for food stockholding which can be used by...

Many developing countries are currently under pressure to reduce their trade barriers to the entry of agricultural products. This pressure comes both as a result of ongoing trade negotiations (multilateral, plurilateral or bilateral) and due to policy advice from donors and international organizations based on the assumption that a liberal agricultural trade policy is necessary to allow growth through trade expansion. Although developing countries are very heterogeneous both...

There has been a recent proliferation of simulation modelling exercises attempting to quantify the potential economic gains from further liberalization of agricultural trade, and in doing so, seeking to inform the current Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. This paper seeks to contribute to a better appreciation of what the results of simulation models actually mean, and the extent to which they can be used to inform debates...

The July 2004 WTO Framework Agreement foresees a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), to protect against depressed import prices and import surges for agricultural products, that is available to all developing countries. The SSM would in principle be applicable to all products. However, limits on the number of products for which a country can simultaneously apply additional duty under the SSM could be applied to prevent abuse