STATE SUPPORT POLICIES DISTORT AGRICULTURAL MARKET, SAYS OECD

The latest edition of the OECD’s annual Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation report has revealed that many government policies aiming to support the agriculture sector are more of a hamper than a help. The report analysed policies directly supporting farmers implemented by 54 countries in the period from 2017 to 2019, averaged USD 536 billion (EUR 469 billion) per year. Results of the report showed that these policies distort markets, stifle innovation and harm the environment. As national governments seek to provide relief to the agricultural sector during the coronavirus pandemic, such policies seek to further deepen market distortions, the report said. We’d talk to industry experts, politicians and trade representatives to assess what policy actions should be taken in the short to medium-term to make national agriculture sectors more productive, sustainable and resilient.