How does biotech food labelling affect consumers’ purchasing preferences and the market? Evidence from urban China

This paper examines whether and how biotech labelling has had an impact on Chinese consumers’ vegetable oil purchasing decisions. The authors used sales data from Nanjing and household survey data from Jiangsu province. They found that the market share of biotech oils immediately decreased as a result, though the decrease was small in absolute terms (but statistically significant). In addition, the changes in the biotech oil market share were affected by the structural effect of the rich, while there was no apparent gross consumption effect of the poor, which could have been underestimated due to a series of factors concerning the two datasets applied.biotech labelling; actual sales data; vegetable oil; market share; China

WILL MARKET PRICES ENHANCE CHINESE AGRICULTURE?: A TEST OF REGIONAL COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of food. In the past, China's governmental policy advocated regional self-sufficiency in agricultural production, and it is generally believed that regional self-sufficiency was enforced at high economic cost. However, this changed with the 1979 economic reforms which encouraged some regional specialization. It is expected that there may be further shifts in regional production patterns and interregional trade flows. This article uses data on land productivity to test for regional comparative advantage, and it provides some empirical evidence on provincial comparative advantage in cotton versus grain production in China.Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Do Consumers Really Care about Genetically Modified (GM) Food Label? What Do We Know? What Else Should We Know?

This paper employs household survey data to examine whether GM food labeling has an impact on consumers’ vegetable oil purchasing decision. Direct variables indicating consumers’ response to label regulation are employed to test labeling effect. We find that supermarket customers who concern GM label or GM material have respectively 4.1-7.5 percent and 9.8-12.3 percent lower probability of buying GM oil. Meanwhile, their probability of switching from GM oil to non-GM oil after labeling enforcement is higher by 10.5 percent and 12.7 percent respectively. The empirical results support our previous finding that in the short run the market share of GM oil decreased significantly by a small amount as a result of label enforcement. To capture a comprehensive picture of GM food labeling and the market trend in the long run, major concerns and needs for the future are discussed, including understanding the discrepancy between stated preferences and revealed preferences, influencing factors for aggregate market share incorporating other market channels, real decision body for food consumption, and other major marketing strategies.GM food labeling, household survey data, aggregate market share, China.

Machinery investment decision and off-farm employment in rural China

This paper investigates the linkages between farmers' machinery investment decision and off-farm employment in China. Both the theoretical model and the empirical results based on a survey of 453 households in Anhui Province indicate that agricultural labor input and small-size machinery investment are gross complements rahter tha substitutes when machinery service is available in the market. Consequently, farmers with small machinery are more likely to reduce their off-time employment time. --Small-size Machinery,Off-Farm employment,Complements,China

Actual Media Reports on GM Foods and Chinese Consumers' Willingness to Pay for GM Soybean Oil

Information has been proven to have significant impacts on consumers' behavior and willingness to pay (WTP). In this study, information on GM soybean oil is given in the form of real-life cases involving GM food. These cases recorded from actual media reports. Using a hybrid of the double-bounded and payment care elicitation approaches, Chinese consumers' WTP for soybean oil is examined both before and after these cases are presented to them. Results indicate that media reports on positive cases do not increase consumers' WTP significantly, while reports on negative cases drastically lower their WTP.Chinese consumers, double-bounded, soybean oil, willingness to pay, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis,

How does biotech food labelling affect consumers’ purchasing preferences and the market? Evidence from urban China

This paper examines whether and how biotech labelling has had an impact on Chinese consumers’ vegetable oil purchasing decisions. The authors used sales data from Nanjing and household survey data from Jiangsu province. They found that the market share of biotech oils immediately decreased as a result, though the decrease was small in absolute terms (but statistically significant). In addition, the changes in the biotech oil market share were affected by the structural effect of the rich, while there was no apparent gross consumption effect of the poor, which could have been underestimated due to a series of factors concerning the two datasets applied

Stage-specific, Nonlinear Surface Ozone Damage to Rice Production in China.

China is one of the most heavily polluted nations and is also the largest agricultural producer. There are relatively few studies measuring the effects of pollution on crop yields in China, and most are based on experiments or simulation methods. We use observational data to study the impact of increased air pollution (surface ozone) on rice yields in Southeast China. We examine nonlinearities in the relationship between rice yields and ozone concentrations and find that an additional day with a maximum ozone concentration greater than 120 ppb is associated with a yield loss of 1.12% ± 0.83% relative to a day with maximum ozone concentration less than 60 ppb. We find that increases in mean ozone concentrations, SUM60, and AOT40 during panicle formation are associated with statistically significant yield losses, whereas such increases before and after panicle formation are not. We conclude that heightened surface ozone levels will potentially lead to reductions in rice yields that are large enough to have implications for the global rice market

Crop insurance and agrochemical use in the Manasi Watershed, Xinjiang, China

This study investigates the environmental impact of a government subsidy program for crop insurance in China. It looks at how crop insurance scheme in Xinjiang province affects the way cotton farmers use fertilizers, pesticides and plastic agro-film. These three inputs cause significant environmental problems in the region and there is a need to ensure that their over-use is not encouraged. The study finds that crop insurance helps protect farmers from the economic impact of crop failures, with a minimal negative impact on the environment. The only significant impact is a potential slight increase in agro-film use. In fact, crop insurance helps reduce the amount of pesticides cotton growers use. In light of these findings, the study concludes that a government-subsidized crop insurance program is an acceptable policy and proposes a number of ideas for minimizing any residual environmental impact it might have

Commercialization of Herbicide-Tolerant Soybeans in China: Perverse Domestic and International Trade Effects

Replaced with revised version of paper 06/12/07.Crop Production/Industries, International Relations/Trade,