Trade is critical for many resource-constrained countries, which rely heavily on the import of basic and high-value commodities. Trade also drives inclusive economic growth, enabling producers, including smallholders and family farmers, to access broader markets and improve resilience.
Agricultural trade and markets
Agricultural trade plays a vital role in supporting livelihoods for farmers and workers across the agri-food supply chain, while also helping to reduce global food insecurity. A growing share of agro-food trade involves global value chains (GVCs) that span multiple countries, linking different stages of agricultural and food production and processing.
Key messages
How can government agricultural support policies be designed to enhance the environmental sustainability of production, meet social goals, and ensure global food security? The OECD’s comprehensive research agenda, underpinned by agricultural datasets and consultations with stakeholders, provides insights and evidence to inform the effective design of agricultural policies.
There is growing global demand for agri-food supply chains to be both socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. An evolving framework of trade-related policies, voluntary sustainability standards, and corporate accountability tools are supporting this transformation. The OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains is a cornerstone of these global efforts.
Countries are increasingly adopting digital technologies within their Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems to strengthen trade facilitation, support food safety, and promote sustainable agricultural trade. Key technologies include electronic certificates (e-certification), remote audits, conformity assessment platforms, traceability and data-sharing technologies. OECD analysis shows that SPS e-certification improves trade volumes, especially for processed foods, vegetables, and animal products. Moreover, digital trade solutions are expected to play a positive role in improving both the efficiency and environmental sustainability of agricultural trade systems.
Context
More expensive fertiliser leads to more expensive crops
Scenario analysis indicates that a 25% increase in fertiliser prices could lead to a 5% rise in agricultural commodity prices. The impact is greater for fertiliser-intensive crops than for livestock, with the exception of poultry and pig meat, which are reliant on compound feed.
Other input cost fluctuations, i.e. in energy, seeds, labour, or machinery, also influence global food price volatility.
Export Restrictions and Agro-Food Market Stability
An OECD policy paper takes an in-depth look at the use of export restrictions on staple crops between January 2007 and April 2024. The data show that export restrictions increased during the global food price crisis of 2007-08, the COVID-19 pandemic, and following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the first period witnessing a significantly higher use of export restrictions than the two subsequent crises.
OECD’s recent update of the database on export restrictions on staple crops (covering export restrictions introduced up to June 2025) shows a sharp decline in export restrictions since mid-2024, as major players lifted quotas, taxes and prohibitions.
Such restrictions may hinder food access for vulnerable populations, disrupt agricultural supply chains, and create uncertainty in agro-food markets.
Uncertainty about the duration and scope of such trade policies may also lead firms and governments to make decisions based on incomplete information, resulting in significant and lasting consequences.
