The potential impact of the Doha Development Agenda on the South African economy: liberalising OECD agriculture and food trade

This article reports the results of a static computable general equilibrium (CGE) model on the possible liberalisation of agriculture and food trade in the OECD countries. Liberalisation of trade was simulated assuming a reduction in import tariffs, the tax rate on factor use and export subsidies in four steps of 25% points each. Such simulations were run in the GLOBE model then adjusted and used as a policy shock to the PROVIDE model. The results show that the weighed average world price (adjusted) changes will range between -19.6 to +3.8% for imports and between -3.0 and +29.7% for exports at 75% liberalisation. The results from the single country CGE model show that the South African economy would respond positively to the world price changes, with government and macro variables showing minimal but positive responses. Household consumption expenditures generally show positive changes, implying increased factor incomes. Not all sectors will be positively affected even though the overall effect is positive.