AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Producer subsidies enable countries to sell agricultural products at prices below production cost.
Support to agriculture is measured by the Producer Subsidy Estimate (PSE) and quoted as a percentage of gross farm receipts.
The latest figures from the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) show that in 2016, 16% of gross farm receipts in the 50 countries surveyed were due to policies that support farmers.
This is down from the 30%+ recorded between 1995 and 1997.
In developing countries, by contrast, support increased from very low levels to 14% between 2014 and 2016.
This was due mainly to the huge support offered to farmers in China and Indonesia.
