Global trade in agricultural products has grown almost three-fold in value terms over the past decade with some regions increasing net exports and others increasing net imports. Considering the importance of food imports for food security and the role of exports in generating incomes, trade constitutes an essential component of most countries’ development strategies, including the post-Soviet countries.

Global trade in agricultural products is expected to continue to increase over the coming decades, with countries becoming more engaged in the trade. It is important to note the appropriateness of trade and related policies will differ across countries, depending on their level of agriculture sector development. Also, the range of possible policies that can be implemented follows the legal and institutional frameworks created by international trade agreements and frameworks such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is in this context that balancing the achievement of national policy objectives with the obligations under trade agreements to minimize any potentially negative effects of countries’ actions on their trading partners is vitally important. Recent changes in policies to regulate agrifood trade and to support agribusiness in relation with COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed at the course discussion forum.

Another significant characteristic of the international trade is that number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has expanded, with the increased complexity in coverage and content. RTAs tend to establish deeper trade and economic integration provisions than multilateral agreements. Therefore, it is critical to understand how the agriculture is addressed in RTAs and what are similarities and differences from the WTO rules.