Cafta : Challenges and Opportunities in the Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Sectors
A Central America Free Trade Area (CAFTA) has been under negotiation since January 2003. A World Bank report, Opportunities and Challenges for the Agricultural and Agroindustrial Sectors of Central America from a Free Trade Agreement with the Unite...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/10/3261409/cafta-challenges-opportunities-agricultural-agro-industrial-sectors http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10373 |
| Summary: | A Central America Free Trade Area
(CAFTA) has been under negotiation since January 2003. A
World Bank report, Opportunities and Challenges for the
Agricultural and Agroindustrial Sectors of Central America
from a Free Trade Agreement with the United States of
America, examines how a FTA between the US and CA countries
might affect the agricultural and agroindustrial sectors of
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Two main questions are addressed: (i) how to guarantee
better US market access for CA's agricultural and
agro-industrial exports, and (ii) how to promote greater
openness to imports from the US of food products that are
"sensitive" in each CAdomestic market. The
authors analyze the structure of agricultural and
agro-industrial exports and patterns of revealed comparative
advantages in Central America (CA), and tariff and
non-tariff barriers (NTBs) these exports face in the US.
The report suggests that the CAFTA negotiations consider (i)
lessons from Mexico's entry into NAFTA, (ii) existing
protectionism in the US, and (iii) specific features of each
CA country. It recommends domestic policy reforms to
improve the competitiveness of CA producers of sensitive and
new export goods. |
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