The interests of developing countries in multilateral trade negotiations will need to be given greater consideration than previously if progress is to be made in the current round of multilateral trade negotiations. Modelling the impacts of policy changes on individual developing countries...

Recent calls for a UN Convention on Soils begs the question about its feasibility and advisability. International conventions are most likely to be successful where the need for action is compelling, the effects of inaction immediate, dramatic and relatively certain, and there are significant...

In 2011 the Thai Government pledged to pay rice producers 50 per cent more than the going market price. The surplus has gone into Government stocks. While supporting local farmers, the Government also hoped to drive up world prices by withholding supplies from the world market and make a...

The WTO negotiations on the reform of agricultural tariffs, export subsidies and domestic support is proving to be increasingly frustrating with little progress since prior to the Cancun Ministerial of August 2003, apart from an agreement to keep talking. In this paper a possible outcome in the...

Vietnam is about to join the WTO. As a major exporter of rice, coffee, cashew nuts and pepper, accession to the WTO will have little impact on these export markets, as tariffs on these exports are already low. However, accession will require Vietnam to expose some of its inefficient agricultural...

Developed countries have agreed to provide duty free and quota free access to imports from LDCs covered by 97 per cent of tariff lines. However, LDCs would like to extend the agreement to 100 per cent coverage, since 3 per cent of tariff lines can cover a substantial proportion of LDC exports....