The Potential Impacts of Nano-Scale Technologies on Commodity Markets: the Implications for Commodity-Dependent Developing Countries.
Commodity production is the mainstay of the economy in most developing countries. According to UNCTAD, commodity dependence is measured by the share of the three leading commodities in a given country’s total exports. The bigger the share, the more dependent the country is. Commodity dependence and poverty are closely intertwined. (more…)
Problems and Policy Challenges faced by Commodity-Dependent Developing Countries.
This note presents the commodity problems and their implications for Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs); (ii) identifies the underlying causes of these problems and (iii) examines some of the major policy approaches used in the past to deal with them, their merits and limitations. (more…)
Supply-side Measures for Raising Low Farm-Gate Prices of Tropical Beverage Commodities.
This year has seen how governments and individuals can respond with immense energy and generosity to relieve the suffering of people caught up in natural disasters. The man-made crisis affecting the markets of tropical commodities is every bit as devastating as any of these disasters, yet not only is there very little being done to address the problem but very few people are even aware of it. (more…)
Remunerating Commodity Producers in Developing Countries: Regulating Concentration in Commodity Markets.
The past few decades have seen a huge surge in international trade that has affected developing countries as well as the world’s largest economies. However, while some countries have seen an associated increase in wealth, others seem to have been left behind. (more…)
Overview of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Quad Countries on Tropical Fruits and Vegetables Imported from Developing Countries.
A number of developing countries,1 and especially least developed countries (LDCs), rely on agriculture for their food security, export earnings and rural development. It has been estimated that the agricultural sector accounts for between 30 per cent and 60 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for many of these countries, and is the major source of foreign exchange. (more…)
A Conceptual Framework to Understand Supply Management Programmes.
A supply management programme can be defined as a policy tool that controls the production and supply of a commodity in order to achieve a desirable price objective in a relevant market. (more…)
Some considerations on acceding to the GSTP Agreement and joining the Third Round of GSTP Negotiations
In the São Paulo Declaration of 16 June 2004, developing country Ministers gathered at UNCTAD XI have agreed to launch a Third Round of trade negotiations among participants to the General System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP). (more…)
A Compilation of Negotiating Proposals on Trade Facilitation
Paragraph 27 of the 2001 Doha Ministerial Declaration states that: 27. Recognizing the case for further expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit, and the need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity building in this area, we agree that negotiations will take place after the (more…)
Current Trends in Organic Agriculture Markets and Their Implications for Farmers.
The market for organic agricultural products grew steadily during the nineties with global sales estimated at US$ 25 billion in 2003. The projected impressive growth of demand for organic products in the industrialised countries,notably the United States, European Union and Japan constitute an important pull factor for the increase in the production and international trade of organic agricultural products. (more…)
Dependency of Developing Countries on Non-Agricultural Commodities: Characteristics and Challenges.
Information on non-agricultural commodities is not as widely available as for agricultural commodities. The purpose of this paper is to identify, in contrast to agricultural commodities, what is the extent of dependency of developing countries on non-agricultural commodities, what are the main characteristics of this dependency, which developing countries are most dependent on this type of commodities and what are the challenges they face in the trade arena and from a wider developmental view. (more…)
Classification in Services: An Overview of the Main Issues for Developing Countries.
The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the main issues related to classification within the context of the services negotiations and to assist developing countries in understanding the implications. (more…)
