Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
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o East Asia and the Pacific has its strongest comparative advantage in animal and
vegetable fats and oils, as well as crude materials, and other edible products and
cereals.
o Europe and Central Asia has its strongest comparative advantage in dairy,
cereals, and other edible products.
o For Latin America and Caribbean, it is meat, cereals, and sugar products.
o For the Middle East and North Africa, the strongest comparative advantage is in
cereals, sugar products, other edible products, and oils and fats.
o For North America, there is evidence of comparative advantage in cereals, live
animals, meat, and animal feed.
o For Sub-Saharan Africa, the relevant products are live animals, cereals, and
crude materials.
 In terms of networks, global trade in agricultural products is shaped by competing
aspects of geography: proximity lowers trade costs, but also results in more similar
environmental conditions, and thus reduced scope for trade in dissimilar products.
These two forces produce different patterns of dispersion of centralization in different
sectors.
Tariffs and non-tariff measures raise the costs of moving agricultural products between
countries; although there is evidence that tariff rates are falling over time, other sources of trade
costs remain substantial.