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The Drivers of India’s Agricultural Trade: A Study Based on Major Crops

Author

Listed:
  • Lekharani Gohain

    (Visva-Bharati University)

  • Amit K. Biswas

    (Visva-Bharati University
    University of Bonn)

Abstract

Even though India is predominantly an agricultural economy, we find dearth of works related to Indian agricultural trade combining both export and imports. This paper attempts to examine the performances of major Indian agricultural crops both in terms of export and imports and tries to attribute it on various policy variables like domestic and world tariff, GDPs, price differentials and exchange rate movements for the period 1990–2016. Using panel ARDL model, we find that growth in home as well as world GDP help to increase agricultural imports and exports by India respectively. However, exchange rate is found to be highly responsive for agricultural imports but does not affect agricultural exports. World tariff rate and the price differences between home and foreign locations are found to be statistically significant in controlling values of agricultural exports. An increase in per hectare productivity of agricultural commodities helps exports too.

Suggested Citation

  • Lekharani Gohain & Amit K. Biswas, 2025. "The Drivers of India’s Agricultural Trade: A Study Based on Major Crops," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 23(1), pages 159-174, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jqecon:v:23:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s40953-024-00418-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s40953-024-00418-6
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural trade; Policy instruments; Panel ARDL; Co-integration; PMG estimation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C52 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection

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