Weather clouds agricultural outlook in Argentina

Subject Outlook for the agricultural sector. Significance Floods and drought affecting Argentina’s agricultural heartland could lead to a reduction of 1.3 million hectares in the previously estimated sowing area (34.3 million hectares) for the 2016-17 harvest. Impacts The government expects GDP to expand by 3.5% this year, after an estimated 2.3% decline last year. The fiscal deficit will delay further cuts in agricultural export taxes. This harvest will not achieve the record output reached last season.

Humanomics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Issa Salim Moh’d ◽  
Mustafa Omar Mohammed ◽  
Buerhan Saiti

Purpose This paper aims to identify the appropriate model to address the financial challenges in agricultural sector in Zanzibar. Since the middle of 1960, clove production has continually and significantly decreased because of some problems and challenges that include financial ones. The financial intermediaries such as banks, cooperatives and micro-enterprises provide micro-financing to the farmers with high interest rates along with collateral requirements. The numerous programmes, measures and policies adopted by the relevant parties to find out the solutions to the dwindling clove production have failed. Design/methodology/approach The authors will review and examine several existing financial models, identify the issues and challenges of the current financial models and propose an appropriate Islamic financing model. Findings The numerous programmes, measures and policies adopted by the relevant parties to find out the solutions to the dwindling clove production have failed. This study, therefore, proposed a Waqf-Muzara’ah-supply chain model to address the financial challenge. Partnership arrangement is also suggested in the model to mitigate the issues of high interest rates and collateral that constrains the financial ability of the farmers and their agricultural output. Originality/value The contribution of the agricultural sector to the economic development of Zanzibar Islands is considerable. As one of the important agricultural sectors, the clove industry was the economic backbone of the government of Zanzibar. This study is believed to be a pioneering work; hence, it is the first study that investigates empirically the challenges facing the clove industry in Zanzibar.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent Otache

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore agripreneurship development as a strategy for economic growth and development. Design/methodology/approach Though a few related literature were reviewed, this paper relies heavily on the author’s viewpoint regarding how Nigeria can grow and develop its economy through agripreneurship development. Findings The present economic challenges that Nigeria is facing are blamed on overdependence on the oil sector, bad governance, corruption, leadership failure, policy inconsistency, overdependence on imported goods and ostensible neglect of the agricultural sector. Also, policymakers, economic analysts and the government have advocated strongly for diversification of the economy. Besides, there is a consensus among scholars, economic analysts and policymakers that “agriculture is the answer.” Research limitations/implications This paper addresses specifically one sector of the economy – the agricultural sector. On the other hand, economic crisis needs to be addressed holistically by resolving specific issues that confront different sectors of the economy. Practical implications This paper has some insightful policy and practical implications for the Nigerian Government and Nigerians. The government and Nigerians need to take practical steps to grow and develop the economy. On the part of the government, apart from the need to transform the agricultural sector by allocating enough funds to it, the government should establish well-equipped agripreneurship development centers and organize periodically agripreneurship development programmes for the main purpose of training and developing both current and potential agripreneurs who will be able to apply today’s agricultural techniques and practices which involve a great deal of creativity and innovation for a successful agribusiness. The federal government should integrate agripreneurship education into Nigeria’s education system. Similarly, the Nigerian people, particularly the youths or graduates should be encouraged to choose agribusiness as a career. Originality/value While previous papers have offered different solutions to the current economic crisis that Nigeria is experiencing, ranging from economic to structural reforms, this paper differs significantly from others by recommending specifically agripreneurship development as a strategy for revamping Nigeria’s economy from its current recession. Moreover, there is a dearth of literature on agripreneurship and agripreneurship development. This paper therefore fills the literature gap.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngozi Adeleye ◽  
Evans Osabuohien ◽  
Simplice Asongu

PurposeThe study aims to analyse the role of finance in the agro-industrialisation nexus in Nigeria using annual data on manufacturing value added, agricultural value added and volume of finance availed to the agricultural sector from 1981 to 2015.Design/methodology/approachTo establish the presence of a long-run relationship, the error correction model and bounds cointegration techniques are employed. Likewise, the model is augmented to test whether the associated relationship between industrial output and agricultural output depends on access to finance by farmers with the inclusion of an interaction term.FindingsSome salient contributions to the literature are as follows: agriculture and finance are strong and positive predictors of industrialisation in the long run; in the short run, past realisations of industrial output and finance have significant asymmetric effects on industrial output; the explanatory power of agriculture decreases with the growth of the financial system; and the long-run results validate the role of finance in the agro-industrialisation nexus.Originality/valueGiven these findings, achieving growth in the agricultural sector that will induce desired industrialisation should be prioritised by the government through agencies such as the central bank, financial intermediaries and other stakeholders with a view to making agricultural financing a major concern for sustainable domestic consumption and industrial growth.


Significance Despite such controversies, the government is pinning hopes for economic recovery on restoring hydrocarbons production alongside longstanding plans to reduce the country’s dependence on oil. While large international oil companies are retreating to the relative safety of the deep offshore, the government will look to new partnerships with China and India for large infrastructure projects. Impacts Employment gains in the oil sector will be marginal compared to increases in the agricultural sector. Recent state interventions against oil majors are unlikely to deter future investment. Counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram could distract from government peace efforts in the Niger Delta.


Significance This has triggered a series of economic setbacks. The economy showed modest growth in the first quarter of 2020 before plummeting 15.7% in the second, year-on-year. Various industries and sectors have all but ground to a halt. Unemployment reached 20.3% in the second quarter. Impacts Fiscal incentives implemented by the government to mitigate the pandemic’s economic impacts will widen Colombia’s fiscal deficit. Interest rates will probably drop further as the Central Bank tries to add liquidity into the economy. Fiscal pressures imply a slow recovery for the economy in coming years, rolling back two decades of social improvements.


Subject The impact of COVID-19. Significance In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has ditched the Fiscal Responsibility Law (LRF), in force since 2015, at the same time launching a 1-billion-dollar bond issue in order to cover a surging fiscal deficit. Paraguay has won plaudits for its timely response to the global spread of the pandemic with the introduction of a strict quarantine. Impacts Fiscal limits may continue to be breached as elections draw nearer. Business pressures will continue to tilt the balance towards increased borrowing rather than increased taxes. The government could lose the momentum gained from its COVID-19 response if related corruption allegations mount.


Significance Greater Tripoli is particularly vulnerable to any disruption of the infrastructure, while the COVID-19 pandemic makes adequate water supply to the capital and other urban centres even more critical. Impacts Fresh disruption of water supplies would fuel public anger and exacerbate social unrest, probably causing more armed clashes. Service disruptions and unrest would worsen tensions within the Government of National Accord, further undermining its authority. Water shortages will also undercut efforts to develop Libya’s agricultural sector as a way of diversifying its oil-dependent economy.


Significance The demonstrations form part of a broader backlash against the government’s newly introduced value-added tax (VAT) and indicate the depth of popular feeling building against President Carlos Alvarado. Impacts The risk of watering down the new VAT regime will raise concerns among investors about the government’s commitment to fiscal rigour. Delaying VAT implementation would also force the government to cut social spending in order to hit its fiscal deficit goals. The evangelical movement will demonstrate its strength in further protests throughout Alvarado’s term.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 228-245
Author(s):  
ZUBERU ◽  
ILIYA ◽  
YUSUF ◽  
SALIHU

Since the discovery of oil, there has been a drastic decline in agricultural exports as percentage of total exports declined from about 43% to slightly over 7% between 1970 and 1974, as a result of the oil price shocks of 1973 – 1974 which resulted in large receipts of foreign exchange earnings by Nigeria and the neglect of agriculture. There have been series of declines in agricultural export since the mid-1970s at an average annual decline rate of 17 percent and by 1996, agricultural export accounted for only 2 percent of total exports, hence, making Nigeria net importer of basic food stuff. With this continual decline, the agricultural sector no longer earns enough foreign exchange through exports. Hence, this study investigates implications of agricultural seed financing on increased productivity output and export earnings in Nigeria. The choice of research design employed in this study is the archival and documentary research strategy, associated with the deductive approach, which involved secondary data collection. The population comprised 16 years data on total annual financial expenditure on agricultural seed improvement, agricultural productivity output and export earnings from 2000 to 2015 (16 years). Secondary data on cumulative annual expenditure on seed financing (SIF), Agricultural productivity (AP) indicator and export earnings (EE) were employed. The findings revealed that, findings revealed that Seed improvement financing has a significant impact on increased Agricultural production output and that there is a significant relationship between Agricultural production output and increased export earnings in Nigeria. The study therefore recommended that, there is need for the government to increase funding for agricultural research and also access international grants, as this will help increase variety of high yield seeds and subsequently increase agricultural production output, which will increase agro related export earnings in Nigeria.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhui Liu ◽  
Huawei Zheng

Purpose Low-carbon agricultural technology (LAT) extension is a key strategy for the agricultural sector to address climate change. Social capital, which consists of social networks, trust and norms, can play an active LAT extension role. This paper aims to analyze the mechanism of the role of social capital in the process of LAT extension. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire data from six counties in Jiangsu, China, were used to measure social capital and analyze its effect on LAT extension using logistic regression. Data from 27 interviews were used to analyze the LAT extension experiences and problems. Findings LAT is mainly deployed by the government to farmers and distributed among them. In this process, the village officials who form parts of the government’s composition and the villagers play a dual role that facilitates a close link between them and the farmers and ensures LAT integration. However, social norms did not play a significant role in the process. Practical implications Farmers’ acceptance of LAT is based solely on the trade-off between local networks’ benefits and trust in local villagers and village officials. LAT-related laws and technical measures, thus are essential to strengthen LAT practices’ authority and incorporate LAT-based agricultural production as the norm of production behavior. Originality/value This paper provides an insight into the process and essence of farmers’ acceptance of LAT, which provides theoretical lessons for the LAT extension in China and indeed other developing countries.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document