The Policy Factors in the Decline of U.S. Agricultural Imports in the MENA Region

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region stands on a global pivot point, impacting the world through its diverse political and economic dynamics. While often recognized for its complex challenges, the region's food security remains surprisingly under-considered, even though it carries significant global repercussions. This research focuses on a concerning trend: the decline of U.S. agricultural exports to MENA, potentially jeopardizing regional stability and impacting global food systems. While EU competitiveness is acknowledged, this research delves deeper than mere identification of competitors such as the EU, dissecting the interplay of their advantages – superior pricing and yields – against the U.S. approach from a policy-perspective. Import value data was sourced from the World Bank database, consisting of official annual trade statistics. The paper’s ultimate goal is to highlight how the US has suffered from out-competition from the EU, leading to the latter’s collapse as a source of staple crop imports, in order to prevent such drastic changes in the future as the same trend in other industries could provide much more devastating for the US. Repeated policy mistakes have contributed to the decline of the US in the agricultural market. Through policy realignment towards the EU approach, the US can better support its agriculture sector particularly in regards to its appeal as a source of imports. This analysis can impact US policy and inspire a shift towards more sensible and outcome-oriented spending policies.