If not now, when? (Agricultural trade reform)

July 2nd, 2008

If we can’t get an agreement on cutting food tarriffs and limiting market-distorting agricultural subsidies now, while food prices are surging (see graph), then when we will ever?

Posted in Development, Economics, Markets, Trade

2 comments on “If not now, when? (Agricultural trade reform)”

AJ:

August 4, 2008 at 2:04 pm

One problem is that, in the short term, cutting agricultural subsidies will raise world food prices. It may be that this would be good in the long run be provoking a supply response and raising farm incomes, but it’s far from clear that higher food prices do the latter for the very poorest (many of whom are net food producers at harvest time and net consumers the rest of the year).
AJ:

August 4, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Dani Rodrik says a similar thing here:

http://rodrik.typepad.com/dani_rodriks_weblog/2008/07/dont-cry-for-doha.html

Owen abroad

If not now, when? (Agricultural trade reform)

2 comments on “If not now, when? (Agricultural trade reform)”

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