Agricultural Trade among NAFTA Countries: A Case Study of U.S. Meat Exports

The U.S. NAFTA partners are important markets for U.S. meat exports. A source-differentiated almost ideal demand system is used in this study to estimate meat demand in Canada and Mexico. Empirical results suggest that while a U.S. price increase in the Canadian market is expected to increase U.S. sales revenues; it would decrease sales revenues in the Mexican market. Furthermore, an increase in meat expenditures in Canada and Mexico is expected to increase the demand for U.S. meats, while the bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreaks have had a negative effect on U.S. and Canadian beef market shares. Finally, a decomposition of the causes of changes in demand for U.S. meats over time is performed.     

The Market Structure and Price Competition in China's Wheat Import Market:

This paper reveals that wheat exporters to China compete in an imperfectly competitive market. U.S. wheat exports face strong price competition from Argentina, Australia, Canada, and the European Community, but has a highly elastic demand in China. By adopting an aggressive promotion policy, the U.S. could reduce the market shares of Argentina and Canada. China would shift to wheat from Argentina, Australia, and Canada if U.S. wheat exports were interrupted because of high prices or non-price trade frictions. An expansion in China's wheat imports would accrue to wheat from Argentina and the U.S.     

EFFECTS OF NON-PRICE EXPORT PROMOTION: SOME EVIDENCE FOR COTTON*

An Annington-type trade model is estimated to determine the effects of government-subsidized export promotion on the demand for U.S. cotton in the Pacific Rim. Results show a significant relationship between promotion expenditures and U.S. market share in four of the six countries examined. One of the two countries exhibiting a non-significant effect had very low promotion expenditures, suggesting that a minimal level of funding may be necessary to achieve a market response. The hypothesis that export promotion has a carryover period lasting beyond one year in general is supported by the data. The question of the economic impacts of export promotion on domestic producers and taxpayers must await additional research.     

The Impact of Biofuel Policies on Crop Acreages in Germany and France

A major concern about biofuels is that increasing biofuel feedstock demand reduces availability of crops for food and feed leading to higher food prices. This paper investigates relations between biofuel policies and prices of rapeseed, the major feedstock used for biodiesel production in Europe, and the impact of rapeseed prices on crop acreages in Germany and France. Biodiesel is an important biofuel in Europe, and Germany and France are the largest biodiesel producers in Europe. First, the various biofuel policies in Germany and France are discussed, followed by an analysis of their effects on rapeseed prices. Although theory indicates that such effects exist, we could not find empirical evidence for them. Second, using regional land use panel data from Germany and France we investigate empirically whether crop shares have been affected by rapeseed prices in the period 2000–2015 and whether these price effects changed because of biofuel policy changes. Results show that wheat shares in Germany and France did respond to rapeseed prices, but barley shares did not. Moreover, mandatory blending introduced in Germany in 2007 and production quotas introduced in France in 2005 led to a stronger effect of rapeseed prices on wheat shares, but again did not affect barley shares.     

Food Demand in Mexico: An Application of the Amemiya-Tobin Approach to the Estimation of a Censored Food System

The modeling of micro-level food demand patterns requires not only allowing for household heterogeneity, but also addressing the problem of censoring. In this article, we present a variation of the Amemiya-Tobin framework for estimating a censored demand system that allows for household heterogeneity. The unique aspect of our approach is the use of a procedure that ensures the adding up of both latent and observed expenditure shares and also imposes expenditure share nonnegativity. This system is applied to an analysis of food demand based on a random sample of urban Mexican households.     

Optimal generic advertising in an imperfectly competitive food industry with variable proportions⋆

This paper determines the impact of food industry market power on farmers' incentives to promote in a situation where funds for promotion are raised through a per‐unit assessment on farm output and food industry technology is characterized by variable proportions. Specifically, building on earlier studies by Azzam [Am. J. Agric. Econ. 80 (1998) 76] and Holloway [Am. J. Agric. Econ. 73 (1991) 979], Muth's [Oxford Econ. Papers 16 (1965) 221] model is extended to consider the farm‐level impacts of generic advertising when downstream firms possess oligopoly and/or oligopsony power and advertising expenditure is endogenous at the market level. Applying the model to the US beef industry, we find that for plausible parameter values market power reduces farmers' incentives to promote. However, the disincentive is moderated by factor substitution, and effectively vanishes as the factor substitution elasticity approaches the retail demand elasticity. This suggests that the Dorfman–Steiner theorem, suitably modified to account for factor substitution, suffices to indicate optimal advertising intensity in the US beef sector.     

Does food market modernisation lead to improved dietary diversity and diet quality for urban Vietnamese households?

This study investigates the possible mechanisms through which modern food markets may affect Vietnamese households’ dietary diversity and diet quality using data from a survey of 1,700 urban households with seven‐day food recall. We calculate Household Dietary Diversity Scores to measure dietary diversity, and use consumption frequencies of micronutrients (vitamin A and heme iron) and a macronutrient (protein) to create a household measure of diet quality. We estimate a Poisson regression model using a two‐step control function approach to address the potential endogeneity of our key explanatory variable, modern market food expenditure shares. Higher modern market food expenditure share is positively and significantly associated with consumption frequency of heme iron, but there are no significant associations with consumption of vitamin A and protein. We further explore indirect linkages between food expenditure shares and dietary diversity, which in turn, may be linked to household diet quality. Results from a system of equations show that the food expenditure share variable has no significant relationship with dietary diversity, but dietary diversity is positively and significantly associated with diet quality. Our results indicate that alone, policies which encourage ‘food market modernisation’ are not enough to improve diet quality in urban Vietnam.     

供需系统视角下北京市集体土地建设租赁住房政策效果仿真研究

研究目的：基于系统论视角构建北京市集体土地建设租赁住房政策效果仿真模型,剖析政策运行影响机理,预测政策试点未来实施效果并寻找优化路径,以期形成可复制可参考试点经验。研究方法：运用系统动力学构建仿真模型模拟压力型、需求型、要素型、市场型4种情景下政策运行效果。研究结果：（1）从供给和需求两方面构建集体土地建设租赁住房政策效果仿真模型,供给侧包括政策供给子系统、项目供给子系统、土地供给子系统,需求侧为承租人需求子系统;（2）至2030年,北京市集体土地建设租赁住房土地供应量可以达到2 000 hm2左右,建设项目150个左右;（3）对政策效果的影响方面,政府压力因素是最主要正向的影响因素,其次为市场因素、承租人需求因素、土地供给因素。研究结论：加大投融资政策扶持,综合运用政策、市场、要素、需求等途径,激励市场主体参与积极性,保障集体土地建设租赁住房政策有效落实。     

Beef import market shares in Taiwan: implications for Australia

Market shares of major beef suppliers to Taiwan, including Australia, the United States and New Zealand, were estimated econometrically to determine their relative competitiveness. The analysis, based on monthly data from June 1990 to August 1997, showed that relative prices and consumer incomes were important factors influencing suppliers' market shares. Specifically, the demand for Australian beef responded little to an increase in price and negatively to an increase in consumer income. Furthermore, the growth in Taiwan beef consumption has slowed down and Australian beef suppliers need to re-assess the market potential and develop appropriate marketing strategies to maintain competitiveness.     

Labor issues and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted Canada and several other countries to impose an economic shutdown to prevent a deadly public health crisis from becoming much deadlier. In the agriculture and food sector, several hundred thousand restaurant workers have lost their jobs. The rise in unemployment, the closing of restaurants and schools, and social distancing have triggered demand reductions for certain commodities and foods and demand increases for others, bringing along changes in demand for inputs including labor. Canadian employers of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) are facing delays and additional constraints in recruiting, but so have US and European employers of TFWs. Rising food security concerns are making protectionist trade policies popular. Domestic and foreign firms may export less and do more foreign direct investment, inducing trade in jobs.     

Some neglected issues in food demand analysis: retail-level demand, health information and product quality

Food demand analysis is dominated by the econometric estimation of demand systems based on aggregate market data and steady progress has been made in analytical techniques. Yet some issues have been neglected in food demand analysis which are crucial for understanding recent consumption trends in industrialised countries. Three of these issues are dealt with here: analysis of food demand at the retail level; influence of health information on food demand; and importance of product quality for food demand. It is shown that answers to important questions in these areas can be given when large and unconventional data sets are used.     

Measurement Error in Recall Surveys and the Relationship between Household Size and Food Demand

Variation in household survey design and implementation is used to obtain evidence of nonrandom measurement error in recall surveys of household expenditure. These surveys, which are used especially in developing countries, appear to have measurement errors in food expenditures and in food budget shares that are correlated with household size. These correlated errors may be part of the explanation for a puzzling pattern of falling food demand with rising household size in poorer countries.     

A Price Analysis of U.S. Agricultural Exports in East Asian Markets

This paper examines the price competition between U.S. agricultural exports and that of its competitors in East Asia. The results show weak price competition in Japan's corn and soybean markets, and no price competition in the wheat market. U.S. cotton exports to Japan face strong price competition. In Hong Kong, U.S. market shares are low, while the demand for its rice, corn, soybeans and cotton is elastic. For South Korea and Taiwan, improved political relationships between China, South Korea, and Taiwan have caused the U.S. to lose market shares to China.     

入世与绿色食品营销

入世把中国市场与世界市场紧密的连为一体 ,许多行业都会感受到国际市场极富挑战性的冲击。绿色食品业作为国民经济新增长点的新兴行业历经十几年的发展 ,在这与国际市场接轨的时机 ,应如何面对入世的机遇与挑战。本文着重从市场竞争方面分析入世对绿色行业造成的影响 ,认为绿色食品企业要不断地提高自己的市场竞争力 ,要从产品、定价、销售渠道、促销等方面制定有效的绿色食品营销策略 ,全方位拓展绿色食品市场     

Politics by Other Means: The Emergence of a New Politics of Food in the United States

A new politics of food has arrived. Interest groups are no longer required to rely on traditional legislative means to achieve their political objectives. Instead, changes in the political economy of the food system and the economic structure of the food system make it possible to practice politics by other means, including the use of the market to achieve political objectives. The increasing transaction costs of legislative decision making, the slow growth in the demand for food in developed country markets, the increasing demand for specific food product attributes, and the highly concentrated state of most food markets can make it advantageous for interest groups to pursue their political objectives through the market rather than through legislative channels. In the new politics of food, the market, the legislature, the bureaucracy, and the judiciary are all arenas within which the art of politics will be practiced.     

甘肃省食用植物油供需波动变化研究

食用植物油是人民群众的生活必需品,其消费量已成为衡量一个国家人民生活水平的重要标志,并在国家食物安全中占有重要的地位,保障其供给安全,对促进经济发展和社会稳定具有重要意义。文章收集整理了1978~2012年甘肃省油料作物和食用植物油相关数据,运用速度法和数理统计等方法,从产量、供给、需求、消费量、库存消费比等方面,分析研究甘肃省食用植物油供需波动变化情况。研究得出油料市场供给基本满足消费需求,但油料作物种植发展缓慢,产业化水平较低;食用植物油供需波动处于紧平衡状态,自给率仅为76%左右,省外购进的量远远大于外销量,消费需求的增长速度超过产量的增长,食用植物油缺口较大,同时存在种植品种与加工品种、品种结构与市场需求、区域性产销不协调之处。通过综合分析研究,构建了"以自给为主,贸易调剂为铺"的供给模式,提出了提高食用植物油安全供给的政策选择,为甘肃省食用植物油发展提供了新思路和科学依据,对保障甘肃省食用植物油安全供给具有重要意义。     

粮食供给侧:“按量补贴”与“按质补贴”

[目的]2017年中央一号文件强调,在推进农业供给侧改革中,农业由满足量的需求,向更加注重满足质的需求转变。那么,粮食供给如何实现这一转变,从强调粮食产量向注重粮食质量、兼顾粮食产量的方向转变?尽管粮食质量的衡量是一个多维度的复杂问题,但是质量终归会反映成价格。[方法]通过粮食供给需求的均衡分析,建构了粮食补偿数理模型,研究了按面积补偿向按量补偿、按量补偿向按质补偿转变的条件。[结果]在粮食供给侧改革中,在耕地面积等条件不变的条件下,要实现这一转变,就需要突出规模效应,通过规模化生产补贴和品牌化发展策略实现。在此理论分析基础上,通过美国、中国、日本、俄罗斯、印度的粮食生产的相关性分析,进一步佐证了上述观点。[结论]结合实践经验,提出以规模化生产补贴、区域品牌或农户品牌来实现粮食质量的提升。     

Examining Organic Food Purchases and Preferences Within Jordan

Continuing economic development in Jordan provides potential food marketing opportunities as a new group of prospective value-added food product consumers emerges. The growing demand for high-value foods such as organically produced items also provides a new potential value-added market for Jordanian farmers. No studies to our knowledge have examined consumer preferences toward organic food items within Jordan. This study provides an initial attempt to fill this knowledge gap by examining the market for organic food items from a demand perspective in order to increase the knowledge available to Jordanian farmers, food processors, and retailers.     

新一轮国际粮食价格上涨：原因及对中国市场的影响

[目的]随着中国粮食进口不断增加,国内外市场联系越来越紧密。2020年下半年以来,国际市场粮食价格快速上涨,对国内粮食市场产生一定影响,分析国际市场价格上涨的原因和影响对确保国内粮食供应稳定、保障国家粮食安全具有重要意义。[方法]文章分析了2019年以来小麦、大米、玉米、大豆4种粮食产品的国内外价格走势,从供需状况、贸易政策、气候变化等因素分析国际市场价格波动的原因,并探讨了国际价格对国内价格的影响。[结果]当前全球主要粮食品种供应充足,库存仍处于较高水平,此轮国际粮食价格上涨主要是受到美国等发达国家宽松的货币政策以及疫情后全球消费逐步回暖的影响;但国际市场价格上涨对中国市场的影响总体有限,国内小麦、大米、玉米价格上涨的主因是国内消费回暖和生猪产能恢复带动的饲用需求快速增长,油用大豆受国际市场的影响较大。[结论]为稳定国内粮食市场,避免国际市场的冲击,中国要进一步提升粮食综合生产能力,强化科技支撑,加强粮食储备管理,健全政策支持体系,并引导居民建立科学的消费观念。     

国有林区绿色食品全产业链发展研究

立足黑龙江国有林区全面停伐后加快推进经济转型的现实背景,阐述了林区绿色食品的内涵特征,构建了林区绿色食品全产业链组织架构,分析了国有林区发展绿色食品产业的前景。在充分明确黑龙江国有林区绿色食品产业的发展潜力和发展趋势的基础上,提出促进国有林区绿色食品全产业链发展的建议:制定发展规划,并加大对产业发展的政策扶持;建立东北协同发展联盟,制定品牌提升战略,共同发展国有林区绿色食品产业;构建市场体系,完善林区绿色食品营销网路市场;加快产业集群,扩大林区绿色食品产业规模。