South Asian agrifood trade networks in India: a case study of onion exports
Abstract
South Asia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regions of the world
while global agricultural trade has expanded since its inclusion into the WTO
framework, especially for developing agrarian economies such as India, which
are expanding as suppliers of agricultural products to various markets. Within
South Asia, agriculture still remains crucial to economic growth and poverty
reduction. Though the relative contribution of agriculture has come down in all
of the South Asian countries, but the value-added farm products exports have
grown in importance and have direct implications for farm incomes and rural
livelihoods. It is in this context that this article examines the nature and dynamics
of Regional Production Networks (RPNs) or regional value chains in South Asia
in the food sector with case studies of fresh onions and their product exports as
they originate from India. It tries to understand the organization of value chains
and the networks for smaller companies and farmers supplying to lead buyers
or chain drivers, explores product, process, and labour standards and suggests
mechanisms for leveraging RPNs for better trade, growth and poverty reduction.
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