Competitiveness of the United States and ASEAN in the International Agricultural Market

Three alternative measures were used to determine the competitiveness of the U.S. and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the international agricultural market. Evidence suggests that while the competitiveness of the U.S. has become fairly stable across time, the ASEAN countries have exhibited fluctuating trends, with pronounced increasing trends during the past five years. The impact of technological progress on international agricultural competitiveness was also analyzed. Competitiveness was found to be influenced by interest rates, labor availability, and endogenous technology driven by foreign aid, direct foreign investments, and farm size. These findings provide policymakers and agribusiness managers with relevant inputs which could be useful in formulating appropriate technology generating and/or transfer policies contributing to their country's improved international competitiveness.