Reverse Dutch disease with trade costs: Prospects for agriculture in Africa's oil-rich economies

Abstract

Reduced oil revenues since 2014 are stimulating tradable sectors in oil-exporting countries. I use an open economy model with internal and external trade costs to investigate the prospects for reverse Dutch disease in African countries with a comparative advantage in agriculture. While falling resource revenues lead factors of production to shift into agriculture, remote farmers can lose when trade costs make agricultural goods behave like non-tradables. Household survey data from Nigeria show a significant agricultural supply response that is correlated with exposure to international markets. Lowering trade costs and boosting agricultural productivity can help offset the lost income from oil.