Venezuela: Trade Policy Issues in the 1990´s

Abstract

This part of the report will describe and analyse agricultural trade policies in Venezuela with emphasis in the period 1999-2001. After this introduction chapter II presents a brief background about the changes in agricultural trade policy during the 1990´s. The third chapter will describe and analyse actual trade policy main issues, some estimations about nominal and real protection coefficients for rice, white corn, sorghum and milk will be presented. Finally a discussion about the implications of actual trade policy on equity, efficiency and sustainability is realised. This part of the report is complemented with two annex. Annex 1 describes Venezuela main commitments and actual situation in the World Trade Organisation. Annex 2 presents the Andean common agricultural and trade policy. Although Venezuela has signed and participates of other preferential trade agreements (For example with Chile, the G3 with Mexico and Colombia). The Venezuela commitments in both WTO and the Andean Community of Nations represent the main restrictions to design and implement public agricultural policies.