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By Pradeep S Mehta
Control over the global food value chain is getting consolidated in fewer private hands, posing serious security concerns
Four current multibillion-dollar deals in the agriculture sector are ringing alarm bells around the world—the takeovers of Syngenta by ChemChina and of Monsanto by Bayer; and the mergers between Dow Chemical and DuPont, and between Potash and Agrium. Consequently, the global agricultural input market will get further concentrated, which in turn would have an impact on the global food value chain (GFVC). After ‘defence’, it is ‘food’ that is the most important consideration for a nation’s security. Thus, the fact that control over GFVC is getting consolidated in fewer private hands could pose serious security concerns. It is suggested that Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries should tackle this jointly through a coordinated competition policy.
The core of competition law enforcement is ‘economic analysis’, which in turn is guided by the ‘economic doctrine’ followed by the enforcing country. While some will emphasize ‘efficiency’ during economic analysis, others may like to include the ‘public welfare’ angle More…
Live Mint, October 12, 2016
By Pardeep S Mehta
I travel abroad frequently for my work, and the road discipline that I see in poor African countries is starkly far better than India. They do not even honk when traffic is crawling. More…
DNA, September 15, 2016
By PRADEEP S MEHTA
Globally, the international investment agreement (IIA) regime is undergoing a change and the developments in India are no exception. India has decided to terminate about 57 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) whose initial duration has expired, or is soon to expire, and issue joint statements for the ones in force. More…
The Hindu Business Line, August 24, 2016
By PRADEEP S MEHTA
The world is heading towards increasingly uncertain times. Gains from liberalisation are being doubted, protectionism is becoming the rhetoric, inequality is on the rise and value offered by multilateral systems is being questioned.
This was the backdrop in which the 14th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from July 17-22. UNCTAD is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations, established in 1964 to promote trade, investment and development in developing countries.More…
Asian Age, August 05, 2016
By PRADEEP S MEHTA
Both India and the US must differentiate between core and non-core issues to make way for trade-offs for a mutually beneficial deal India and the US have long shared democratic values, a vibrant multicultural fabric, entrepreneurial spirit and economic interests. Despite Indo-US trade being worth more than $100 billion today, their economic relations are facing a bit of a headwind. Given the changing geo-economic calculus in the world, a strong and renewed commitment between India and the US is vital. Arguably, a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) would enhance the political commitment, reduce uncertainties and boost the investment climate. Albeit, like any other international agreement, both must be willing to give some and take some. More…
Livemint, July 29, 2016
By Udai Mehta and Kanika Balani
The growing unrest among consumers abroad, over the safety of personal care products, has raised concerns about the safety of such products in India as well. Series of cases of death and injury filed against the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Company in the US and Reckitt Benckiser in South Korea, brings to light the associated risks to Indian consumers, given the global nature of markets, which cuts across boundaries. Moreover, the risk is not just limited to the personal care products, but is prevalent in the whole of FMCG industry More…
News Mobile, June 30, 2016
By Pradeep S Mehta
Only now are they in the line of fire. Some lateral thinking is required to reform the administration.This seems to be a season of some good news as far as administrative reforms for economic growth is concerned. The commerce department at the nudge of the Prime Minister’s Office is considering setting up a large specialised team to negotiate international trade deals. Such a team would comprise specialists drawn from the Indian Trade Service, Indian Foreign Service and trade lawyers..More…
The Hindu Business Line, April 14, 2016
By Pradeep S Mehta
India can scale up on the Ease of Doing Business metric only if States, along with the Centre, pull themselves upIndia’s distorted factor markets, poor infrastructure and an overvalued currency have played a major role in this declineLast year on this day, the government of India had released the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), 2015-20. It was, by no means, a Fools Day prank. It laid a foolproof plan to enhance India’s trade ecosystem and competitiveness.More…
The Hindu, Business Line, April 1, 2016
By Pradeep S Mehta
Much has been written about the 2016 Budget, mainly in praise and some critical. The Budget is generally considered the economic policy statement of the government. Hence, by not speaking about structural reforms, we have lost some ground to grow.More…
The Hindu BusinessLine, Mach 17, 2016
