Sector agrícola y política de competencia

Los procesos de integración económica han puesto en evidencia que la separación tradicionalmente hecha entre las políticas comercial y de competencia no solo es ficticia, sino que mantenerla es simplemente contradictorio con la realidad de la economía internacional. En la medida en que los mercados domésticos se han abierto al comercio internacional, se ha considerado que las políticas de competencia pueden hacerse redundantes ya que la competencia extranjera tiende a garantizar que dichos mercados tienen un nivel adecuado de contestabilidad. Aca se discute la relacion general entre sector agrícola y política de competencia, en un contexto de relativa liberalización comercial.************************************************************************************************************Globalization has made it evident that the traditional separatio between trade and competition policies is not only artificial but in overt contradition with the international economy. It has been argued that, as the economy becomes more open, competition policy becomes useless since foreign competition would guarantee market contestability. However, as it is shown in tis paper for the case of agricultural sector, in this environment comptetition policy acquires a new and important role to play. This paper discusses the relationship between the agricultural sector and competition policy in a freer trade context. It is argued that it is convenient to apply competition policy to this sector, as it ensures the best possible conditions for enhancing technological change processes that are vital for agricultural development. In the same vein, it also argues thar rigorous competition policy enforcement for regulating the relationship between the, more competitive, agricultural sector and the sectors with which it relates up and down stream, as well as the latter's markets themselves, is necessary to avoid potential use of anticompetitive practices against the former. Market structure particularities must be taken into account in enforcing competition law. This may include considering well defined flexibilities and exclusions for the agricultural sector so that it can strengthen its bargaining power vis a vis other sectors in te economy.