Sugar Export Research Articles

The Vacation Is Over: Implications for the Caribbean of Opening U.S.-Cuba Tourism

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)The trade literature regularly seeks to explain how barriers affect trade. For example, recent work that more tightly linked the workhorse grav- ity trade model to its empirical applications solved a major puzzle as to why borders reduce trade.1 Empirical studies have measured export growth after European Monetary Union (EMU) or World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, or the industrialization of China.2 Similarly, this study seeks to estimate the impact on the Caribbean of normalizing bilateral tourism trade between the United States and Cuba.The kaleidoscope of nationalities, languages, races, and political and colo- nial histories, coupled with what at first appears to be comparable endow- ments, makes the Caribbean a unique natural experiment for trade. Moreover, the importance of tourism for the region's economies fuels interest from policymakers and academics. For example, a recent passport mandate for U.S. travelers to the Caribbean set off intense lobbying by the affected econo- mies to stop a transitory cost asymmetry relative to Mexico. Similar concerns were raised in response to the drop in banana and sugar exports to EU coun- tries from their former Caribbean colonies.On the issue of the supply shock from an opening of U.S. tourist flows to Cuba, concerns have arisen over the need to brace for such competitive pres- sures.3 For example, the very high cost of visiting Cuba compared with the perfect trade integration of the U.S. Virgin Islands suggests that the current restriction provides substantial trade protection to the latter. The rest of the Caribbean lies somewhere in between these two extremes, with U.S. tour- ist arrivals driven at least in part by preferential trade positions relative to Cuba. Under a scenario in which U.S. tourist flows to Cuba are unrestricted, the market will need to find a new equilibrium, as the largest consumer of tourism services in the region meets for the first time in nearly fifty years the region's largest potential producer. As this deadweight loss is lifted from U.S. consumers, Caribbean vacations will be repriced, based on fundamental costs, and new tourism consumption patterns will emerge across all destinations and visitor countries.Previous research has not reached a consensus on the impact of liberalizing Cuba-U.S. tourism on the Caribbean. In particular, earlier work forecasting tourism without the current restrictions draws on potentially unreliable data or on untested assumptions. For example, Padilla and McElroy (2003) project arrivals based on a comprehensive historical review, including evidence from the 1950s and industry surveys. These projections appear plausible, but they are not tested econometrically and the resulting conclusions depend on quali- tative evidence that is difficult to benchmark in the wake of a major structural change.4 This study shapes a liberalized Cuba-U.S. tourism counterfactual by estimating a gravity trade model of the Caribbean tourism industry. This model, grounded in consumer optimization across differentiated international products, can successfully explain upward of 85 percent of the variation in the trade data used here. These estimations are anchored in macroeconomic, industry, and socioeconomic data from international sources so as to minimize Cuba-specific uncertainty. The measures employed are standard in gravity models, which have enjoyed great empirical success in the trade literature.5 Moreover, the gravity model allows tests of whether Cuba and competing Caribbean destinations adjust their tourism base to hedge potential gains or losses in the wake of free Cuba-U.S. tourism trade. The model estimates presented reflect both the current distortions in Cuba-U.S. tourism rela- tions, as well as the underlying fundamentals that determine the long-run equilibrium.The results presented here point toward two major findings. First, liberal- ized Cuba-U.S. bilateral tourism would increase overall arrivals to the Carib- bean. …

A Diel Flux Balance Model Captures Interactions between Light and Dark Metabolism during Day-Night Cycles in C3 and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Leaves.

Although leaves have to accommodate markedly different metabolic flux patterns in the light and the dark, models of leaf metabolism based on flux-balance analysis (FBA) have so far been confined to consideration of the network under continuous light. An FBA framework is presented that solves the two phases of the diel cycle as a single optimization problem and, thus, provides a more representative model of leaf metabolism. The requirement to support continued export of sugar and amino acids from the leaf during the night and to meet overnight cellular maintenance costs forces the model to set aside stores of both carbon and nitrogen during the day. With only minimal constraints, the model successfully captures many of the known features of C3 leaf metabolism, including the recently discovered role of citrate synthesis and accumulation in the night as a precursor for the provision of carbon skeletons for amino acid synthesis during the day. The diel FBA model can be applied to other temporal separations, such as that which occurs in Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis, allowing a system-level analysis of the energetics of CAM. The diel model predicts that there is no overall energetic advantage to CAM, despite the potential for suppression of photorespiration through CO2 concentration. Moreover, any savings in enzyme machinery costs through suppression of photorespiration are likely to be offset by the higher flux demand of the CAM cycle. It is concluded that energetic or nitrogen use considerations are unlikely to be evolutionary drivers for CAM photosynthesis.

The Vacation Is Over: Implications for the Caribbean of Opening U.S.-Cuba Tourism

The Vacation Is Over:Implications for the Caribbean of Opening U.S.-Cuba Tourism Rafael Romeu (bio) The trade literature regularly seeks to explain how barriers affect trade. For example, recent work that more tightly linked the workhorse gravity trade model to its empirical applications solved a major puzzle as to why borders reduce trade.1 Empirical studies have measured export growth after European Monetary Union (EMU) or World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, or the industrialization of China.2 Similarly, this study seeks to estimate the impact on the Caribbean of normalizing bilateral tourism trade between the United States and Cuba. The kaleidoscope of nationalities, languages, races, and political and colonial histories, coupled with what at first appears to be comparable endowments, makes the Caribbean a unique natural experiment for trade. Moreover, the importance of tourism for the region’s economies fuels interest from policymakers and academics. For example, a recent passport mandate for U.S. travelers to the Caribbean set off intense lobbying by the affected economies to stop a transitory cost asymmetry relative to Mexico. Similar concerns were raised in response to the drop in banana and sugar exports to EU countries from their former Caribbean colonies. [End Page 1] On the issue of the supply shock from an opening of U.S. tourist flows to Cuba, concerns have arisen over the need to brace for such competitive pressures.3 For example, the very high cost of visiting Cuba compared with the perfect trade integration of the U.S. Virgin Islands suggests that the current restriction provides substantial trade protection to the latter. The rest of the Caribbean lies somewhere in between these two extremes, with U.S. tourist arrivals driven at least in part by preferential trade positions relative to Cuba. Under a scenario in which U.S. tourist flows to Cuba are unrestricted, the market will need to find a new equilibrium, as the largest consumer of tourism services in the region meets for the first time in nearly fifty years the region’s largest potential producer. As this deadweight loss is lifted from U.S. consumers, Caribbean vacations will be repriced, based on fundamental costs, and new tourism consumption patterns will emerge across all destinations and visitor countries. Previous research has not reached a consensus on the impact of liberalizing Cuba-U.S. tourism on the Caribbean. In particular, earlier work forecasting tourism without the current restrictions draws on potentially unreliable data or on untested assumptions. For example, Padilla and McElroy (2003) project arrivals based on a comprehensive historical review, including evidence from the 1950s and industry surveys. These projections appear plausible, but they are not tested econometrically and the resulting conclusions depend on qualitative evidence that is difficult to benchmark in the wake of a major structural change.4 This study shapes a liberalized Cuba-U.S. tourism counterfactual by estimating a gravity trade model of the Caribbean tourism industry. This model, grounded in consumer optimization across differentiated international products, can successfully explain upward of 85 percent of the variation in the trade data used here. These estimations are anchored in macroeconomic, industry, and socioeconomic data from international sources so as to minimize Cuba-specific uncertainty. The measures employed are standard in gravity models, which have enjoyed great empirical success in the trade literature.5 Moreover, the gravity model allows tests of whether Cuba and competing [End Page 2] Caribbean destinations adjust their tourism base to hedge potential gains or losses in the wake of free Cuba-U.S. tourism trade. The model estimates presented reflect both the current distortions in Cuba-U.S. tourism relations, as well as the underlying fundamentals that determine the long-run equilibrium. The results presented here point toward two major findings. First, liberalized Cuba-U.S. bilateral tourism would increase overall arrivals to the Caribbean. This surge will likely drive tourism in Cuba to full capacity, although much is unknown about short-run supply constraints. As U.S. visitors overwhelm capacity, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) visitors currently vacationing in Cuba would be redirected toward neighboring countries. Hence, while short-run constraints bind in Cuba, the region would enjoy a period of sustained demand. In the...

Impact of Policy of Government on Import and Export of Sugar from India

Impact of Policy of Government on Import and Export of Sugar from India

Associations between the acclimation of phloem-cell wall ingrowths in minor veins and maximal photosynthesis rate

The companion cells (CCs) and/or phloem parenchyma cells (PCs) in foliar minor veins of some species exhibit invaginations that are amplified when plants develop in high light (HL) compared to low light (LL). Leaves of plants that develop under HL also exhibit greater maximal rates of photosynthesis compared to those that develop under LL, suggesting that the increased membrane area of CCs and PCs of HL-acclimated leaves may provide for greater levels of transport proteins facilitating enhanced sugar export. Furthermore, the degree of wall invagination in PCs (Arabidopsis thaliana) or CCs (pea) of fully expanded LL-acclimated leaves increased to the same level as that present in HL-acclimated leaves 7 days following transfer to HL, and maximal photosynthesis rates of transferred leaves of both species likewise increased to the same level as in HL-acclimated leaves. In contrast, transfer of Senecio vulgaris from LL to HL resulted in increased wall invagination in CCs, but not PCs, and such leaves furthermore exhibited only partial upregulation of photosynthetic capacity following LL to HL transfer. Moreover, a significant linear relationship existed between the level of cell wall ingrowths and maximal photosynthesis rates across all three species and growth light regimes. A positive linear relationship between these two parameters was also present for two ecotypes (Sweden, Italy) of the winter annual A. thaliana in response to growth at different temperatures, with significantly greater levels of PC wall ingrowths and higher rates of photosynthesis in leaves that developed at cooler versus warmer temperatures. Treatment of LL-acclimated plants with the stress hormone methyl jasmonate also resulted in increased levels of wall ingrowths in PCs of A. thaliana and S. vulgaris but not in CCs of pea and S. vulgaris. The possible role of PC wall ingrowths in sugar export versus as physical barriers to the movement of pathogens warrants further attention.

O IMPACTO DOS DETERMINANTES DA OFERTA DE AÇÚCAR E ÁLCOOL NO BRASIL NO PERÍODO 1995 A 2009

This study has the objective to measure the impact of the determinants for the supply of sugar and alcohol in Brazil, with the intention to capture the duration of the osclillations of prices and production influences to the Brazilian market. The econometric model proposed for the following study consists of a vector auto-regressive model with an error correction mechanism based on quarterly temporal series within the period of 1995 to 2009. Afterwards, it was analyzed through Granger causality tests and the impulse response function (IRF) the precedence among the variables comprehended in the models, as well as the impulse that a variable applies over the others. At last based on the tests presented it has got to the conclusion that the model B with four lags, showed the most coherent and conclusive results concerning the theoretical support and the dynamics of the sector. Among the main results it is evident the positive relationship of sugar and ethanol concerning the determination of its offers, at the sense that the increase one product generates, at the same point, the expansion of the other. In addition the behaviors of the variables of prices, in part presented results in agreement to the expected signals. The sugar exports and exchange rate impact positively in the income received by the producer and infer positively for the expansion of the Brazilian sugar offer.

Achieving Efficiency and Equity in Sugar Factories and Sugar‐Cropping Patterns Under Climate Change in Upper and Middle Egypt

ABSTRACTDrought as a natural phenomenon, due to variability of meteorological conditions, strikes worldwide but the severity of its impact depends on the vulnerabilities of water supply systems and economical and sectors as well as on the effectiveness of the adopted mitigation measures. The aim of this paper is to study achieving efficiency and equity in sugar factories and sugar‐cropping patterns in Upper and Middle Egypt by focusing on the Strategic Water Shortage Preparedness Plan, introduction methodologies, and specific action to fight drought within the general water‐planning framework. The Linear Programming Model was applied to calculate the sugar crops, sugar cane and sugar beet acreage, production, and income of both Upper and Middle Egypt. As a result of an optimal cropping pattern, the cultivation season would lose acreage by 7.260%, farm income increase by 1.774%, water uses decrease by 18.511%, and CO2 emission and energy reduced by 14.96%. Overall, as a result of an optimal sugar‐cropping pattern, Egyptian sugar exports would decrease by $130.086 million US. [EconLit classification: Q130 and Q000].

Embriogênese somática da cultivar RB966928 e do clone RB986419 de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.)

The sugar cane is a crop widely planted because of the economic importance of its products, sugar and ethanol. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of sugar, so the crop is often inserted in breeding programs. Genetic transformation strategy is used to obtain resistant and productive cultivars. Defined and optimized in vitro regeneration protocols are required to obtain transgenic plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) to obtain embryogenic callus on cultivars RB966928 and RB986419 clone. Immature leaves from 10 months old plants were used as a source of explants. Leaf 8 x 150 mm cylinders, segmented into 4 mm were inoculated on MS medium with five concentrations of 2,4-D (1, 3, 9, 16 and 27 ?M). A second experiment was conducted with concentrations 3, 9 and 16 ?M of 2,4-D. For both experiments, the dedifferentiation occurred in the dark. Calli were transferred after 45 days of subculture to new medium with the same concentrations of origin for their multiplication. The cultivar RB966928 had responses to somatic embryogenesis of 30 and 41% using 16 ?M of 2,4-D for the first and second experiments, respectively. The clone RB986419 showed respectively 26 and 80% formation of embryogenic callus, using 9 ?M of 2,4-D in the first and second experiment. The calli were transferred to MS medium without plant growth regulator. Seedlings were acclimatized and placed in a greenhouse. The best concentrations of 2,4-D for the formation of calli were 16 ?M for the cultivar RB966928 and 9 ?M for clone RB986419.

Embriogênese somática da cultivar RB966928 e do clone RB986419 de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.)

The sugar cane is a crop widely planted because of the economic importance of its products, sugar and ethanol. Brazil is the largest producer and exporter of sugar, so the crop is often inserted in breeding programs. Genetic transformation strategy is used to obtain resistant and productive cultivars. Defined and optimized in vitro regeneration protocols are required to obtain transgenic plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) to obtain embryogenic callus on cultivars RB966928 and RB986419 clone. Immature leaves from 10 months old plants were used as a source of explants. Leaf 8 x 150 mm cylinders, segmented into 4 mm were inoculated on MS medium with five concentrations of 2,4-D (1, 3, 9, 16 and 27 ?M). A second experiment was conducted with concentrations 3, 9 and 16 ?M of 2,4-D. For both experiments, the dedifferentiation occurred in the dark. Calli were transferred after 45 days of subculture to new medium with the same concentrations of origin for their multiplication. The cultivar RB966928 had responses to somatic embryogenesis of 30 and 41% using 16 ?M of 2,4-D for the first and second experiments, respectively. The clone RB986419 showed respectively 26 and 80% formation of embryogenic callus, using 9 ?M of 2,4-D in the first and second experiment. The calli were transferred to MS medium without plant growth regulator. Seedlings were acclimatized and placed in a greenhouse. The best concentrations of 2,4-D for the formation of calli were 16 ?M for the cultivar RB966928 and 9 ?M for clone RB986419.

Douglas Henry McKAY, CBE, 1923-2012

Douglas Henry McKAY, CBE, 1923-2012

Increased Expression of a Phloem Membrane Protein Encoded by NHL26 Alters Phloem Export and Sugar Partitioning in Arabidopsis

The complex process of phloem sugar transport involves symplasmic and apoplasmic events. We characterized Arabidopsis thaliana lines ectopically expressing a phloem-specific gene encoding NDR1/HIN1-like26 (NHL26), a putative membrane protein. NHL26 overexpressor plants grew more slowly than wild-type plants, accumulated high levels of carbohydrates in mature leaves, and had a higher shoot biomass, contrasting with slower root growth and a lower seed yield. Similar effects were observed when NHL26 was overexpressed in companion cells, under the control of a companion cell-specific promoter. The soluble sugar content of the phloem sap and sink organs was lower than that in the wild type, providing evidence of a sugar export defect. This was confirmed in a phloem-export assay with the symplastic tracer carboxyfluorescein diacetate. Leaf sugar accumulation was accompanied by higher organic acid, amino acid, and protein contents, whereas analysis of the metabolite profile of phloem sap exudate revealed no change in amino acid or organic acid content, indicating a specific effect on sugar export. NHL26 was found to be located in the phloem plasmodesmata and the endoplasmic reticulum. These findings reveal that NHL26 accumulation affects either the permeability of plasmodesmata or sugar signaling in companion cells, with a specific effect on sugar export.

Senzala Insurgente: Malungos, Parentes E Rebeldes Nas Fazendas de Campinas (1832)

The history of Brazil has been shaped by a slave system fed by the massive importation of Africans. Over the last several decades, the study of slavery in Brazil has exploded. In Senzala insurgente, Ricardo Figueiredo Pirola has added to that body of knowledge, providing a detailed and important examination of slavery in an emerging sugar zone.The heart of the book is a slave revolt planned in Campinas in 1832 that was discovered before it could be implemented. The resulting criminal investigation, combined with provincial censuses, inventories, and parish registers, provides the documentary base for this book. Pirola effectively weaves these together to provide the reader with an in- depth view of the inner dynamics of the slave community and its relationship to the slaveholding class. At the same time, Pirola connects this slave community with their home in West Central Africa.In meticulously unraveling this slave plot, Pirola places it within the context of broader historiographical issues. He argues for the combined centrality of class and religion — two main historiographical themes often considered separately — to the revolt. In addition, he argues for the significance of Bantu- led plots in southeastern Brazil, a point that allows him to show how slaves were aware of broader movements in Brazil during the turbulent decades around independence.The scene of the projected revolt, Campinas, underwent rapid transformation from a subsistence economy to one dominated by sugar exports in the first three decades of the nineteenth century. This brought tremendous demographic changes: by 1832 the enslaved population had surpassed the free population; a balanced creole/African population had become heavily African; a reasonably balanced community in terms of gender had become male dominated; the slave community had become younger; and slave ownership had become increasingly concentrated (the majority owned in units of 50 or more). Almost all the identified participants in the plot lived on 15 fazendas, whose 11 heads were themselves frequently connected by family ties. We get to see two communities internally linked.There were 32 active participants in the plot (plus 1 ex- slave), only 3 of whom were born in the area. Twenty- five were Africans, 80 percent of whom were from the northern Congo region (identified as Congo, Monjolo, and Cabinda). This region produced 90 percent of the key plotters, with 6 of the 11 described as Monjolos. The plotters were individuals enslaved for a decade in Campinas, time enough to establish social connections with other slaves. These ladino slaves were mature in age and experience. They also had, Pirola argues, the strongest links to the slaveholding class due to their work as craftsmen, domestic slaves, and skilled workers.This foiled revolt allows the author to provide a valuable insight into important elements of Brazilian society. Senzala insurgente is a good example of “thick description,” as Pirola reconstructs the social links that wove together the sugar elite and the slave community. He documents the formation of a sugar elite in Campinas in the period after 1792, confirming much known about this process. More novel and important is his exploration of the construction of the slave community and the role of community ties in the projected revolt. Importantly, Pirola reconstructs the family ties built around marriage and godparentage that linked together slaves on a number of sugar properties. Godparentage was particularly useful for allowing slaves to connect to the free population as well as for cementing ties within the slave community. Through these ties Pirola explores the process of creating in Brazil a West Central African identity transcending ethnic differences, analyzing the nature of West Central African societies and cultures and relating those characteristics and values to those that evolved in Brazil.The author also adds to our knowledge of individual slaves when he examines the lives of two key plotters, Diogo Rebolo and the ex- slave João Barbeiro. Pirola’s reading of the spiritual world of the slave community is particularly deft: Diogo Rebolo is presented as a spiritual leader connecting the religious culture to the plot itself.Pirola connects this failed plot to a large number of important issues. He demonstrates an understanding of the historiography of slavery and places his views within that context. Given the paucity of key sources of information, Pirola mixes speculation into his analysis, but these forays are clearly identified and generally flow from the discussion. Finally, Pirola provides a transcription of the criminal investigation that served as the starting point for this study.Senzala insurgente demonstrates what can be gained by closely reading local sources and placing that analysis into the context of broader issues and situations. It is a very good example of microhistory, providing rich insights into a wide range of issues of historiographical importance.

La Bolsa De La Habana, El Mercado Mundial De Azúcar Y Las Fluctuaciones De La Economía Cubana, 1910-1959

AbstractThis paper presents the course taken by the Cuban economy from the early twentieth century until the outbreak of the Revolution, seen from the perspective of what happened in the stock market. I have therefore prepared an index of Havana Stock Exchange listings which shows strong dependence on what happened in the sugar market, particularly in sugar exports. However, my research highlights the weakness of this institution, conceived more as an instrument of speculative enrichment rather than one of financing, the evolution of which reveals the fragility of the Cuban economy and particularly the poor development of its capital markets.

Technology, Relationship and Support Institutions on Sectoral Systems of Innovation and Production in Brazil´s Northwest Bio Ethanol and Sugar Agro-industry

This study focuses on the interactions between economic agents, verifying the assumption that innovation and competitiveness in an industry are systemic, with relatively diffuse sources, which co-evolve. In this sense, were used the approach of the Sectoral Innovation System defined by Malerba (2002), analyzing the relationship between three dimensions of analysis: organizations, institutions and technologies. The object of this study was the Industry of Sugar and Ethanol in Alagoas, the largest producer and exporter of sugar and ethanol in the Northeast of Brazil. The results indicated a positive interaction between those three dimensions of analysis; show that there is interaction between universities and research centers, and much of the technological advancement comes from public and private partnerships. It is noteworthy that the research effort focuses on genetic improvement and on innovations of process. Thus, the study indicates that there is an innovation system locally circumscribed.

The Economic Impact of Hurricanes in History: Evidence from Sugar Exports in the Caribbean from 1700 to 1960

Abstract This study estimates the economic impact of hurricane strikes in the Caribbean from 1700 to 1960. More precisely, historical accounts of hurricane strikes and actual historical hurricane tracks, in conjunction with sugar export data taken from the colonial blue books and other historical sources, were used to create a cross-colony/country and time dataset that allows for the first time the ability to evaluate the susceptibility of local sugar production to hurricanes. The regression results show that these events had generally large statistically and economically significant impacts.

Investment and Trade in Biofuels: Will there be a Market in the US for Developing Country Ethanol?

The mandating of increased use of biofuels in transportation fuel in the US initially appeared to offer considerable benefits for developing countries via production and export of sugar cane-based ethanol. This was particularly the case after the contribution of corn-based ethanol was capped at approximately current production levels in the wake of the food price crisis starting in 2007. Closer examination of the complex US biofuels mandate, however, suggests that market access opportunities for developing countries will be much smaller than originally hoped. Current inconsistencies in US biofuels policy increase the riskiness of any developing country investments in the production of biofuels crops and co-requisite infrastructure. As a result, there appears to be little interest in investment in trade-related ethanol activities in developing countries.

The South American sugar market

This paper provides the outlook for sugar (and ethanol) production in South America by country. South America is the origin for over half of the world’s total sugar exports, with Brazil being the dominant supplier, particularly for raw sugar. Total sugar production in South America is estimated to rise to 57.2 mn t, raw value, by 2020. Sugar production growth is likely to be high in medium-sized producers like Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador whilst in Argentina and Colombia the bulk of new investment is set to go to the ethanol sector. Despite high per capita consumption, South America is set to consolidate and even increase its exportable sugar surplus, forecast to reach 33.5 mn t by 2020.

A study of comparative advantage of indian agricultural exports

Recent developments in the international trade scenario and corresponding alterations in India’s foreign trade policies have depicted far reaching implications for India’s agricultural sector in general and agricultural exports in particular. The present study has ascertained the changes in comparative advantage status of India’s major agricultural exports during the postreforms period (1994-95 to 2008-09). India had enjoyed a comparative advantage in tea exports but had depicted a declining trend over the years. A similar pattern had been observed in coffee exports also, where India had been found losing its comparative advantage to other world coffee exporters. An unstable pattern of comparative advantage had been observed in the case of rice exports with intermittent ups and downs in the status. A gradual decline in India’s comparative advantage had been depicted for exports of sugar and cashew also.As opposed to other commodities, India had strengthened its position in the global markets in exports of Ground nut. But as far as the exports of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables are concerned, India cannot boast to have a comparative advantage. India has been found losing out its comparative advantage in export of some of the agricultural commodities to world during the period after economic reforms.

Market Access in Switzerland and in the European Union for Agricultural Products from Least Developed Countries

The introduction of the so-called “duty free quota free” treatment (DFQF) for all products from least developed countries (LDCs), in particular by the European Communities (EC) and by Switzerland, raised expectations of increased agricultural exports for these 49 countries. Despite the high tariff differential LDCs now enjoy over their competitors, especially for agricultural products and particularly in Switzerland, the results until 2007 are dismal: with the exception of sugar exports to the EC, LDCs have not been able to substantially increase their agricultural exports to Europe. This study analyses the result-ing tariff situation and the remaining non-tariff barriers. In many instances it is not cus-toms duties but the sanitary and phytosanitary barriers which turn out to be the single most important hurdle preventing trade. For instance, almost no LDC-based company can supply animal-based products. Similarly, certain private standards set by proces-sors and retailers prevent imports, particularly from LDCs, far more effectively than tar-iffs. Several gateways into this “European cordon sanitaire” are proposed. Only if offered in the context of a package of various carefully coordinated measures, DFQF could yet have a real impact on trade from LDCs. As it stands, this treatment constitutes only a nice-to-have but still largely ineffective instrument of trade development.

A Web Platform Development to Perform Thematic Accuracy Assessment of Sugarcane Mapping in South-Central Brazil

The ability to monitor sugarcane expansion in Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter of sugar and second largest producer of ethanol, is important due to its agricultural, economic, strategic and environmental relevance. With the advent of flex fuel cars in 2003 the sugarcane area almost doubled over the last decade in the South-Central region of Brazil. Using remote sensing images, the sugarcane cultivation area was annually monitored and mapped between 2003 and 2012, a period of major sugarcane expansion. The objective of this work was to assess the thematic mapping accuracy of sugarcane, in the crop year 2010/2011, with the novel approach of developing a web platform that integrates different spatial and temporal image resolutions to assist interpreters in classifying a large number of points selected by stratified random sampling. A field campaign confirmed the suitability of the web platform to generate the reference data set. An overall accuracy of 98% with an area estimation error of −0.5% was achieved for the sugarcane map of 2010/11. The accuracy assessment indicated that the map is of excellent quality, offering very accurate sugarcane area estimation for the purpose of agricultural statistics. Moreover, the web platform showed to be very effective in the construction of the reference dataset.