World Perspectives

Recent Macroeconomics Analysis

China Retaliation?; WTO Dispute System Not Urgent

China Retaliation? The assumption is that China will retaliate against U.S. agriculture for any new tariffs applied to Chinese goods by President Biden under Section 301. But at least one American expert on China doesn’t think that is a given. Under this construct, Beijing views the new t...

Transatlantic Glue

China understandably responded harshly to the Biden Administration’s sharp increase in tariffs on EV’s and components. However, there is not much that Beijing can do about it except retaliate. The EU already shared Washington’s angst about China undermining Western industries...

Tariff Man’s Competitor; Europe Correctly Fears Trump

Tariff Man’s Competitor Former President Donald Trump prided himself on his use of tariffs, which candidate Biden criticized but now President Biden fully embraces. In fact, he is proclaiming his own new tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods and calling them “historic.&rdquo...

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

U.S. agriculture representatives returning from a trade mission to India are all excited about their prospects for boosting sales to the world’s most populous country. They are likely suffering from what the great psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman called focusing illus...

Psychobiotic Nonsense; SPS/TBT and Poultry

Psychobiotic Nonsense One component of a book called The Psychobiotic Revolution is scientifically reasonable – that the human gut biome contains trillions of beneficial microbes. And that disturbing that biome can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. One more reasonable th...

Grossly Modified Opinion; BRICS Grain Exchange

Grossly Modified Opinion While the European Parliament’s plan for regulating New Genomic Traits (NGT’s) provides a lighter regulatory treatment for NTG-1 products, its associated labeling requirements will be exploited by the anti-GMO crowd. U.S. regulatory agencies are planning to...

Flimsy Arguments; Bien SUR Pesticides

Flimsy Arguments Certain Americans are taking sides with Hamas in Gaza, arguing that it is Israel to blame. In a similar fashion, progressive groups focused on agriculture are calling on Washington to cease its bullying of Mexico on GMO corn. They defend Mexico City for pursuing “food sov...

Remake Agriculture for the Climate; Counter-Notifying India; Plurilateral Path

Remake Agriculture for the Climate The World Bank has issued a report on achieving net zero emissions in the agrifood system (Recipe for a Livable Planet) that cites the sector for being a big emitter, but also one that can achieve reductions at a relatively low-cost. It makes the usual recomme...

Having Cake and Eat it Too; Philippine Opportunity

Having Cake and Eat it Too The U.S. is a major food exporter and its sales to India are relatively small and steady due to the border measures it encounters. By contrast, India demands the right to high border measures due to it being a poor country with food insecurity, despite the fact it exp...

Geographic Food Price Differences

Eastern European countries were upset a few years ago when it was discovered that food marketers were retailing lower quality foods in their region of Europe versus countries in the west. Price was not discussed but that differentiation would have followed willingness to pay and the fact that m...

Circling the Corral; Un-deglobalizing

Circling the Corral Florida now bans the marketing of cultivated meat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said lab-grown meat was a threat to the state’s beef cattle industry, the ninth largest in the country. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has limited its demands to just have...

Food is First Victim; Energy Confusion

Food is First Victim Food comprises just 6 percent of all U.S. exports, but it is the first to receive retaliation in trade disputes. The latest example is Israel’s war with Hamas, though it is American food brands that are taking it on the chin. KFC has had to close 100 outlets in Malays...

China Retaliation?; WTO Dispute System Not Urgent

China Retaliation? The assumption is that China will retaliate against U.S. agriculture for any new tariffs applied to Chinese goods by President Biden under Section 301. But at least one American expert on China doesn’t think that is a given. Under this construct, Beijing views the new t...

Transatlantic Glue

China understandably responded harshly to the Biden Administration’s sharp increase in tariffs on EV’s and components. However, there is not much that Beijing can do about it except retaliate. The EU already shared Washington’s angst about China undermining Western industries...

Tariff Man’s Competitor; Europe Correctly Fears Trump

Tariff Man’s Competitor Former President Donald Trump prided himself on his use of tariffs, which candidate Biden criticized but now President Biden fully embraces. In fact, he is proclaiming his own new tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods and calling them “historic.&rdquo...

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

U.S. agriculture representatives returning from a trade mission to India are all excited about their prospects for boosting sales to the world’s most populous country. They are likely suffering from what the great psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman called focusing illus...

Psychobiotic Nonsense; SPS/TBT and Poultry

Psychobiotic Nonsense One component of a book called The Psychobiotic Revolution is scientifically reasonable – that the human gut biome contains trillions of beneficial microbes. And that disturbing that biome can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. One more reasonable th...

Grossly Modified Opinion; BRICS Grain Exchange

Grossly Modified Opinion While the European Parliament’s plan for regulating New Genomic Traits (NGT’s) provides a lighter regulatory treatment for NTG-1 products, its associated labeling requirements will be exploited by the anti-GMO crowd. U.S. regulatory agencies are planning to...

Flimsy Arguments; Bien SUR Pesticides

Flimsy Arguments Certain Americans are taking sides with Hamas in Gaza, arguing that it is Israel to blame. In a similar fashion, progressive groups focused on agriculture are calling on Washington to cease its bullying of Mexico on GMO corn. They defend Mexico City for pursuing “food sov...

Remake Agriculture for the Climate; Counter-Notifying India; Plurilateral Path

Remake Agriculture for the Climate The World Bank has issued a report on achieving net zero emissions in the agrifood system (Recipe for a Livable Planet) that cites the sector for being a big emitter, but also one that can achieve reductions at a relatively low-cost. It makes the usual recomme...

Having Cake and Eat it Too; Philippine Opportunity

Having Cake and Eat it Too The U.S. is a major food exporter and its sales to India are relatively small and steady due to the border measures it encounters. By contrast, India demands the right to high border measures due to it being a poor country with food insecurity, despite the fact it exp...

Geographic Food Price Differences

Eastern European countries were upset a few years ago when it was discovered that food marketers were retailing lower quality foods in their region of Europe versus countries in the west. Price was not discussed but that differentiation would have followed willingness to pay and the fact that m...

Circling the Corral; Un-deglobalizing

Circling the Corral Florida now bans the marketing of cultivated meat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said lab-grown meat was a threat to the state’s beef cattle industry, the ninth largest in the country. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has limited its demands to just have...

Food is First Victim; Energy Confusion

Food is First Victim Food comprises just 6 percent of all U.S. exports, but it is the first to receive retaliation in trade disputes. The latest example is Israel’s war with Hamas, though it is American food brands that are taking it on the chin. KFC has had to close 100 outlets in Malays...

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