Export ban lifted in Ethiopia
07 August 2010
On 13 July 2010 the Ethiopian government lifted its two-year ban on the export of cereals such as maize and sorghum. This followed good harvests and low prices on local markets. The UN World Food Programme has initiated an extensive local purchase programme to provide grains to food-deficit areas, where it feeds an estimated 5.23 million people who require emergency food assistance.
Editorial comment
The use of export bans is one of the areas of controversy in the EPA negotiations, with the EC seeking to restrict or limit the use of such policy measures. This is one of the areas of concern to the Ethiopian government as it determines its approach to the ESA-EU EPA negotiation process. As an LDC, Ethiopia enjoys full duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market under the EBA initiative. As a consequence, these non-tariff provisions of the EPA are seen as a particularly important area of concern.
