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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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TOPIC

Trade

In today’s global economy, international agricultural trade plays an increasingly important role in ensuring food security. But domestic and international policies as well as administrative restrictions can hinder trade flows between domestic and foreign markets and producers. Policies to achieve domestic objectives in one country can affect trade flows in ways that lead to indirect effects in other countries.

IFPRI’s research informs the design of domestic and international trade policies in developing countries, as well as regional and global negotiations to promote an inclusive and efficient international trade system. This includes work on the impact of tariffs, quotas, and nontariff barriers as well as market-distorting food safety and environmental regulations, export bans aimed at food security, and agricultural support payments.

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IFPRI partners with institutions to strengthen developing countries’ capacities to do their own research and independently develop long-term, sustainable trade policies that help to eradicate poverty and support food security. To support rapid responses to market disruptions, IFPRI maintains the Food Security Portal, which provides early warning on international price changes and restrictive trade policies.

IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG1, SDG2, SDG16, and SDG17, and contributes to the CGIAR Impact Areas on Nutrition, Health, and Food Security and Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs.

trade

topics

Publications

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Brief

Monitoring the agri-food system in Myanmar: Agricultural crop traders – June 2024 survey

2024Myanmar Agrifood Program for Strategy and Analysis
Details

Monitoring the agri-food system in Myanmar: Agricultural crop traders – June 2024 survey

To document changes in the mid-stream of Myanmar’s food value chains, a phone survey of commodity traders was conducted in June 2024 with a sample of 187 active traders in 12 states and regions. Key Findings: -Cellphone network challenges rival transportation challenges in both their prevalence and impact, affecting more than half the traders and doubling since 2023. -More than 30 percent of traders reported being affected by exchange rate volatility and inflation, export/import challenges, and local and regional conflict. Notably, most encountered these shocks in April, May, and June 2024. -Reported credit challenges are at their highest points in the past three years. The proportion of traders offering credit to farmers has decreased, and for some, the credit terms have shifted to higher interest rates and extended loan durations. -Prices for the six most common commodities in our data have increased markedly in the past two years. Trader sales prices of rice were three times higher in June 2024 than in April 2022. -Margins in June 2024 were 0.8 points higher than in April 2023. Rising trading margins could reflect increasing transport or transactions costs in trading, and are generally a negative sign for agrifood system efficiency. Looking Ahead: -Communication challenges in cellphone networks together with widespread transport disruptions could lead to inefficiencies in spatial arbitrage and widening gaps between consumer and producer prices. -Credit challenges are increasing and rising prices will place greater financial stress on the farmers and traders alike. -More than 40 percent of traders consider the general inflation and exchange rate volatility as a negative shock that reduces their business revenues. This survey was conducted before a large currency devaluation in informal markets and widespread flooding in Myanmar impacting agricultural production and livelihoods. These shocks add additional stress to the food system.

Year published

2024

Authors

Myanmar Agrifood Program for Strategy and Analysis

Citation

Myanmar Agrifood Program for Strategy and Analysis. 2024. Monitoring the agri-food system in Myanmar: Agricultural crop traders – June 2024 survey. Myanmar SSP Research Note 114. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/159535

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Value Chains; Agrifood Systems; Agricultural Trade; Shock; Agricultural Credit; Prices

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Book Chapter

Food processing: A stalled transformation

2024Minten, Bart; Ecker, Olivier; Comstock, Andrew R.; Mahrt, Kristi; Fang, Peixun; Goeb, Joseph; Zone, Phoo Pye
Details

Food processing: A stalled transformation

Processed foods account for 80 percent of global food sales. Such foods are becoming increasingly important in low- and middle-income countries, driven by growing demand for convenient and ready-to-eat products. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the state and evolution of food processing in Myanmar and to assess the effect of the crises (COVID-19 and the military coup) on the different segments—production, trade, and consumption—of the sector. This assessment is important given the possible implications of changes in food processing for agriculture, employment opportunities in the food processing industry and food service sector, and nutritional outcomes.

Year published

2024

Authors

Minten, Bart; Ecker, Olivier; Comstock, Andrew R.; Mahrt, Kristi; Fang, Peixun; Goeb, Joseph; Zone, Phoo Pye

Citation

Minten, Bart; Ecker, Olivier; Comstock, Andrew; Mahrt, Kristi; Fang, Peixun; Goeb, Joseph; and Zone, Phoo Pye. 2024. Food processing: A stalled transformation. In Myanmar’s agrifood system: Historical development, recent shocks, future opportunities. Boughton, Duncan; Belton, Ben; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Masias, Ian; and Minten, Bart (Eds.). Chapter 13, Pp. 341-372. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155155

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

South-eastern Asia; Food Processing; Shock; Agro-industrial Sector; Markets; Trade; Processed Foods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Book Chapter

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Journal Article

Bilateral trade welfare impacts of India’s export ban of non-basmati rice using the global partial equilibrium simulation model (GSIM)

2024Fathelrahman, Eihab; Osman, Raeda; Hoag, Dana Loyd Keske; Sixt, Gregory N.; Strzepek, Kenneth M.
Details

Bilateral trade welfare impacts of India’s export ban of non-basmati rice using the global partial equilibrium simulation model (GSIM)

India, the world’s leading rice exporter, banned the export of non-Basmati white rice, accounting for 25% of its total exports (or 10% of the global rice trade). The ban aims to ensure availability to domestic Indian consumers and reduce domestic market prices, impacting global rice market accessibility, consumers, and producers across twelve regions. The study utilized the global simulation model (GSIM) to analyze the effects of trade restrictions on industries. The model uses national product differentiation to assess trade policy changes at global, regional, or national scales. It examined importer and exporter effects on trade values, tariff revenues, exporter surplus, and importer surplus. It found that India’s Voluntary Export Restraint (VER) ban on non-Basmati rice resulted in a higher local price and a negative global net welfare impact of USD 1.7 billion. The losses decreased to USD 1.4 billion when importing countries responded by reducing rice import tariffs by 25% and USD 1.1 billion when importing countries reduced tariffs by 75%. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Cooperation Council regions were most affected. The study also found minimal impact on consumer surplus in India due to inelastic rice demand.

Year published

2024

Authors

Fathelrahman, Eihab; Osman, Raeda; Hoag, Dana Loyd Keske; Sixt, Gregory N.; Strzepek, Kenneth M.

Citation

Fathelrahman, Eihab; Osman, Raeda; Hoag, Dana Loyd Keske; Sixt, Gregory N.; and Strzepek, Kenneth M. 2024. Bilateral trade welfare impacts of India’s export ban of non-basmati rice using the global partial equilibrium simulation model (GSIM). Foods 13(19): 3124. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193124

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Southern Asia; Trade; Agricultural Trade; Trade Barriers; Rice; Models

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193124 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

India lifts export restrictions on rice
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 08, 2024

India lifts export restrictions on rice

By Joseph Glauber and Abdullah Mamun

Assessing impacts on global markets and African consumers.

The likely U.S. longshoreman strike and its implications for agricultural trade
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 30, 2024

The likely U.S. longshoreman strike and its implications for agricultural trade

By Joseph Glauber

Disruptions ahead for some developing countries exporting to the U.S.

Higher wheat prices push Egypt to increase price of subsidized bread for first time since 1989
IFPRI Blog
 | 
August 07, 2024

Higher wheat prices push Egypt to increase price of subsidized bread for first time since 1989

By Nina Jovanovic and Joseph Glauber

Navigating an economic crisis.

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Events

Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

January 13, 2025, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Trade disruptions and their impacts on agricultural markets: Looking back and ahead

Also streaming on Please type your questions into the chat box with name, affiliation, and country. The event video, presenter slides, and podcast will be available in the days following the event. Global agricultural markets have been in a constant state of uproar over the past 5 years. Trade wars between major trading nations such as […]

WTO Annual Agriculture Symposium 2024
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

December 9, 2024, 10:00 – 7:00 pm

WTO Annual Agriculture Symposium 2024

The livestream will be available HERE on December 9, 2024 from 10:00am to 7:00pm (CET) / 4:00am to 1:00pm (EST). This year’s Annual Agriculture Symposium aims to explore the critical intersections between global trade policies, food systems, and nutrition outcomes. In a world where international trade has the potential to both alleviate and exacerbate malnutrition, […]

Navigating the Trade Landscape: A Latin American Perspective building on the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference
IFPRI at External Event

 | 

September 10, 2024, 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Navigating the Trade Landscape: A Latin American Perspective building on the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference

The governance of agricultural and food trade is facing unprecedented challenges in a rapidly evolving global landscape. As traditional agricultural trade issues, such as domestic support and market access, seem to lose their prominence and the feasibility of advancing with a multilateral strategy diminishes, the focus is shifting toward the environmental and nutritional dimensions of […]

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News

September 03, 2024 | Press Release

Ruth Hill joins IFPRI as the new Director of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit

Ruth Hill joins IFPRI as the new Director of its Markets, Trade, and Institutions (MTI) Unit, starting September 3, 2024. 

August 29, 2024 | Press Release

Trade can support climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa’s agricultural sector, new data shows

New report analyzes trade performance amid pressure points from climate change, water use, and carbon emissions, with recommendations for sustainable practices.

September 06, 2023 | In the News

Unpacking the 2023 Africa agriculture assessment report (CNBC Africa) 

CNBC Africa interviewed John Ulimwengu, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and the technical editor and lead researcher of the Africa Agriculture Status Report 2023, launched on September 6 at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF). .  The Report titled “Empowering Africa’s Food Systems for the Future” highlights the ways in which Africa is uniquely positioned to redefine its future and […]

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Our experts

Will Martin

Will Martin

Senior Research Fellow, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions

Devesh Roy

Devesh Roy

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Ian Masias

Ian Masias

Program Head, Development
Strategies and Governance

Antoine Bouet

Antoine Bouet

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions

Abdullah Mamun

Abdullah Mamun

Senior Research Analyst, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions

Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma

Research Analyst, Development
Strategies and Governance