Sub-Saharan Africa Agricultural Exports and Imports

Description

Trade openness is documented to contribute positively to economic growth in economic literature whereby both exports and imports serve an important role in the growth process. Whether this is true for agricultural trade openness in SSA remains a topic open to debate that requires further research analysis. This book explores the trends, determinants and implications of agricultural exports and imports in SSA amid high international food commodity prices, decreasing economic growth rate and high rate of undernourishment in the region. The fact that most SSA countries are agriculture based and on the contrary, net importers of food and agricultural products further raises concern on the determinants and eventually the role of agricultural trade in economic growth and food security. Firstly, it is open secret that imports of agricultural products and particularly food products do not address the root cause of food insecurity in the region. Secondly, most SSA countries are struggling to finance their import bills.