The Use of Agricultural Export Restrictions as an Instrument of Foreign Policy

One of the consequences of international specialisation and trade is to increase the vulnerability of trading partners to trade restrictions. The risks associated with dependence on imported grain as well as oil are now widely recognised. Grain, like oil, can be used as a weapon of diplomacy against countries which import a substantial proportion of their requirements. Either party may use the threat of cutting off trade as leverage to obtain concessions. This has created a new element of uncertainty, and a source of instability, in world markets. Thus I believe it appropriate in a volume dedicated to the memory of one who contributed so much to enhancing our understanding of the external implications of agricultural protection and trade policies to examine in some detail the issues that arise from attempts to use restrictions on food exports as an instrument of foreign policy.