Role of Quality in Wheat Import Decisionmaking

摘要

The dramatic losses in U.S. wheat market share over the last 10-15 years (a 40percent decline since 1973) have raised the question of whether additional wheat cleaning would help the competitiveness of U.S. grain. The study focuses on the function of quality in the import decisionmaking process, particularly the cleanliness of wheat. The study finds that wheat quality matters most in markets that do not receive export subsidies or other forms of export assistance, and countries that conduct imports under a state trading system are less likely to be sensitive to quality and more sensitive to price.