Globalisation - new challenges for developing countries

摘要

A global view would suggest that the poultry industry is in good,health but look more closely and the problems in many countries are only too easy to see. To restore the balance in environmental, economic and humanitarian terms, it is important to strengthen the structure of the poultry industries in developing countries before it is too late. The issues surrounding globalisation have become some of the most contentious to affect the international scene for many years. Good in parts ana arguably beneficial to countries great and small, rich and poor, it is mainly in the agricultural sectors that the greatest weaknesses are emerging. Poultry products, in particular, are being traded internationally in ever increasing volumes and in most cases, imports into developing countries are causing serious difficulties. Unfortunately, even if these countries are in a theoretically strong position to compete with cheap imports (good climate, cheap labour, fair to good feed raw material availability and established local markets), they are unable to do so in practice because their poultry industries are poorly integrated and inefficiently structured and governed. If these smaller and less well-organised national poultry industries are to survive, they need to develop a better structure and in this transformation, they may need some outside assistance. It is in nobody's best long-term interest for the major producing countries to produce more and more at the expense of less well-organised countries and for the poultry industry to become overly concentrated - to the detriment of the environment and the impoverishment of millions.