PhD defense: Teny Yashmina Nebie

Normes et contrôles sanitaires : Un obstacle pour les exportations agro-alimentaires des pays en développement

Jury

Catherine Araujo-Bonjean, Researcher-HDR, CNRS-Université Clermont Auvergne
Anne-Célia Didier, Research Director, INRAE
Karine Latouche, Research Director, INRAE
Simone Bertoli, Professor, Université Clermont Auvergne
Julien Gourdon, Senior Economist, AFD

Abstract

This thesis examines the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on developing countries agri-food trade. Chapter 1 analyzes how Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of pesticides set by importing countries affect tomato exports from developing countries. The nature of the effect we seek to measure depends on the MRLs in force in the exporting countries. These determine whether exporting countries will face compliance costs. A regulatory heterogeneity index was constructed in order to capture differences in tolerance levels across trading partners. Results indicate that developing countries experience a significant decline in tomato exports when importing countries impose stricter pesticide regulations than their own. Chapter 2 focuses on European food border rejections. It analyzes how exporting countries’ reputation affects the rejections they are likely to experience at the borders of European market. An agri-food exporting country is considered to have a good (or bad) reputation if its exporters have succeeded (or failed) one or more times in getting their products across the border of the destination market. Following this definition, we measure the reputation of the exporting country using the number of previous rejections recorded at the borders of the European market. Results suggest that the number of rejections a country experiences in a given agri-food industry increases if that country has a history of rejections in the same or similar industries (belonging to the same agri-food sector). Finally, chapter 3 analyzes how developing countries adjust the quality of their products following a rejection in the European market. The results show that border rejections have a positive effect on the quality of developing countries agri-food exports. The magnitude of the effect differs according to the reason for the rejection and the level of development of the exporting country (low-income countries vs. middle-income countries). The results also highlight the role that the economic, institutional and human capital environment can play in improving the quality of products exported by developing countries.

Keywords

Pesticide MRLs, tomatoes, border rejections, reputation, agri-food exports, quality, developing countries, Europe

theses.fr/en/s181720