Assessment of comparative advantage in aquaculture Framework and application on selected species in developing countries FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture technical paper Series, Vol. 528
Langue : Anglais
Auteurs : CAI J., LEUNG P. S., HISHAMUNDA Nathanael
International trade in fishery products has increased, together with the
absolute and relative importance of aquaculture, as a source of fish
production. Shrimp and salmon are two examples of species grown in
developing countries that are traded internationally. How successful a
country is in competing against other producers depends in part on
transport and on satisfying food standards, but also on its costs of
production. Comparative advantage is a means of comparing relative costs
and indicating the species and markets where there is the greatest
likelihood of success. There are problems with estimating comparative
advantage: the method can be static rather than dynamic and may not
indicate long-run opportunities. However, it is a useful tool for planners
who devise aquaculture strategies and for individual fish farmers. Two
methods exist for estimating comparative advantage – both have been
applied to aquaculture. The domestic resource cost (DRC) method relies on
production cost data to compare efficiency. Distortions may require the
estimation of shadow prices to reflect true social opportunity costs but,
when adjusted, the country that has the lowest DRC has a comparative
advantage. The DRC method is dynamic, providing useful information to
decision-makers; however, cost data may be difficult to obtain and shadow
pricing is problematic. The second method is revealed comparative
advantage (RCA) whereby comparative advantage is inferred from an ex post
assessment of actual trade and specialization. From trade statistics,
estimates are obtained to examine whether a country exports a species to a
particular country more than to the rest of the world; if so, it is judged
to have a comparative advantage in that particular market. The RCA method
is more descriptive and has less predictive potential than the DRC
approach but it has the advantage of data availability. This paper
illustrates the concept of comparative advantage and some of its policy
implications by presenting two case studies: the first one focuses on
shrimp exporting countries while the second one is based on freshwater
aquaculture production of carp, catfish and tilapia. The RCA method is
used in both cases.
Date de parution : 04-2010
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