Analysis of Agri-Food Trade Structures
To Promote Agri-Food Trade Networks
In the Islamic Countries
34
Country No. of New Products No. of Product Exits
Pakistan 1 0
Qatar 0 15
Saudi Arabia 0 3
Senegal 0 0
Sierra Leone 16 0
Suriname 1 1
Syrian Arab Republic 0 16
Togo 0 0
Tunisia 1 1
Turkey 0 0
Turks and Caicos Isl. 0 5
Uganda 0 0
United Arab Emirates 0 0
Yemen 0 17
Source: Authors’ calculations based on UN Comtrade Data.
Table 8 moves the analysis to the import side. For all three groups, import baskets are more
diversified than export baskets in the product dimension. For the African and Asian Groups,
there is evidence of greater diversification over time, although the opposite is true in the case of
the Arab Group. As of 2016, the Asian Group had the most concentrated import bundle, followed
by the African Group, then the Arab Group. However, at the product level, rice imports into Africa
stand out as representing a large, but declining, share of total agricultural imports, at 17.7% in
2016.
Table 8: Leading Products, Percent of Total Agricultural Imports, by OIC Regional Group, 2005 and 2016
African Group Arab Group Asian Group
2005 2016 2005 2016 2005 2016
Live animals 0.43 0.12 3.92 2.26 0.71 2.23
Tobacco 5.58 3.13 4.86 4.96 4.25 3.32
Oil seeds 0.44 0.27 2.41 2.26 6.31 6.86
Crude rubber 0.18 0.14 0.38 0.38 5.37 5.42
Cork and wood 1.32 0.48 5.72 3.97 3.39 2.00
Rice 28.58 17.73 3.84 3.40 2.85 1.85
Vegetables 2.10 2.03 3.50 4.40 3.24 5.39
Fruit and nuts 1.06 0.96 4.20 5.90 2.95 4.88
Coffee 0.54 0.81 1.24 1.55 0.61 1.20
Other edible products 6.19 8.52 4.18 6.66 4.03 5.37
Cotton 0.01 0.08 0.43 0.25 9.35 4.89
Bread products 0.71 0.45 1.05 2.25 0.56 0.86
Palm oil 4.22 7.12 2.18 1.57 6.00 4.02
Fish and crustaceans 6.92 8.82 1.30 2.17 1.97 2.07
Cocoa and chocolate 0.30 0.28 1.46 2.55 2.82 3.88
Rest of 06 4.22 3.81 2.44 1.82 3.02 1.41
Rest of 04 0.77 0.50 0.27 0.18 0.72 0.75
Total (Leading Products) 63.55 55.25 43.36 46.54 58.14 56.40
Source: Authors’ calculations based on UN Comtrade Data.