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International commodity trade, transport costs, and product differentiation

Author

Listed:
  • Carter, Colin A.
  • Chalfant, James A.
  • Yavapolkul, Navin
  • Carroll, Christine L.

Abstract

Transport costs and product quality have received increased attention in the international trade literature. Product quality is a particularly important factor in international trade of high-valued commodities. We observe that significant transport costs for a relatively high quality product represent a natural trade barrier. In this case, transport costs may introduce product differentiation, protecting home-country production of the higher quality product and constraining the foreign exporter to shipping a lower quality substitute. With differential transport costs between a higher and a lower quality product, firms in both countries may gain by implicitly coordinating in an increasingly segmented market and choosing a high-price strategy for both products. Home-country producers clearly gain. Through product differentiation in an oligopolistic market, the foreign producers may also gain when the home producers exploit the transport cost advantage. The international orange juice market, with significant trade volumes in both lower quality frozen-concentrated juice and higher quality not-from-concentrate juice, provides compelling evidence supporting this model.

Suggested Citation

  • Carter, Colin A. & Chalfant, James A. & Yavapolkul, Navin & Carroll, Christine L., 2016. "International commodity trade, transport costs, and product differentiation," Journal of Commodity Markets, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 65-76.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jocoma:v:1:y:2016:i:1:p:65-76
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomm.2016.02.002
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    Cited by:

    1. de Lima, Daruichi Pereira & Fioriolli, José Carlos & Padula, Antonio Domingos & Pumi, Guilherme, 2018. "The impact of Chinese imports of soybean on port infrastructure in Brazil: A study based on the concept of the “Bullwhip Effect”," Journal of Commodity Markets, Elsevier, vol. 9(C), pages 55-76.
    2. William, Wilson & Dahl, Bruce & Hertsgaard, David, 2020. "Soybean quality differentials, blending, testing and spatial arbitrage," Journal of Commodity Markets, Elsevier, vol. 18(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Commodity trade; Product differentiation; Orange juice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade

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