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xxx terms

Arbitrage

Taking advantage of a price differential. The two most common types of arbitrage related to food security are spatial arbitrage (where commodities are moved from areas or markets with lower prices to areas or markets with higher prices and the difference exceeds the transfer costs) and temporal arbitrage (where commodities are obtained, stored and sold at a point in the future when prices are expected to be higher and the difference exceeds the costs associated with the temporal transfer.

Assembly Market

A market where smaller quantities of a commodity are accumulated or aggregated usually from different farmers and small scale traders. Assembly markets facilitate marketing and the movement of commodities as well as reduce the costs of marketing. They can also enable sellers of smaller surpluses from more remote locations to reach distant buyers.

Barriers to Entry

The degree with which firms can influence market prices so that they earn profits which are large but at the same time restrict the potential entry of rival firms into the industry. The major categories of barriers to entry are absolute cost advantage and economies of scale.

Border Point

The exact place (often, but not always, a market location), within the Reporting Country where the trade flow is observed.

Budget Share

The portion (percentage) of the household budget spent on a given good (maize), service or grouped goods and services (food). This is essentially the same thing as expenditure shares.

Capital Constraints

The difficulty to obtain capital to start a business.

Capital Cost

Cost of purchasing or renting capital goods.

Collective Action

The process of farmers jointly acting as a group in production, processing or marketing activities.

Collusion

When rival companies and traders cooperate, overtly or covertly, for their mutual benefit.
The act in which traders jointly determine the prices at which they buy agricultural products from farmers.

Commission

A percentage of money that a trader or agent charges for conducting a transaction on behalf of a seller or buyer.

Commodity

Something tangible, that has value and can be exchanged. Commodities include food and cash crops, livestock, non‐food consumer items and even labor.

Commodity Availability

Monitors the availability of a product in a particular market to identify abundance, stability, or scarcity

Commodity Balance

The balance of staple foods.

Commodity Flow

The movement of commodities through space, generally from surplus to deficit areas.

Competition

A market structure in which there are many sellers of a product.

Complementary Good

Also, Complement

A commodity which is consumed in combination with another commodity. When demand for one commodity rises, demand for the other will rise as well.

Conduct

Also, Market Conduct

The patterns of behavior that traders follow and strategies that they employ in adjusting to the markets in which they sell or buy.

Conglomerate Conduct

The act of businesses merging together and doing businesses that may or may not be related.

Consumer Basket

A typical household’s market (expenditure) basket of goods, services, fees, etc. It is used for tracking the prices of consumer goods and services and the overall cost of living. The basket may be comprised of the actual quantities of consumption goods or services acquired or used by households in some period. Sometimes, a consumer basket can also be made up from hypothetical quantities created.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

An index of consumer prices which measures the change in prices associated with a typical market basket of goods and services over time. The CPI expresses current prices in terms of prices during the same period in a previous year (base or reference year), to show inflation or changes in purchasing power.

Consumption Season

Also, Marketing Season

The period of time during which agricultural output is sold, typically extending from one harvest period to the next.

Contract Sale

A transaction that specifies a price of a commodity and the date of delivery at a future period of time.

Core CPI

See Consumer Price Index (CPI)

A price index where certain items are excluded from the CPI basket on the basis that their prices are highly volatile, subject to temporary influences or are affected by government policies. The index is used to calculate “core inflation” and reflects the underlying inflationary pressures in the economy.

Cost Insurance Freight (CIF)

Pricing or valuation of a good, including all of the costs (known as transfer costs) of delivering a good to the point of consumption. It may be contrasted with the FOB (or free on board) where the transfer costs are excluded. Imports are often valued at CIF prices and exports at FOB prices.

Cost of Living Index

An index that measures between two periods the change in the minimum expenditures that would be incurred by a consumer, in order to maintain a given level of standard of living or welfare, assuming that his/her preferences or tastes remain unchanged.

Cross Border Trade

The movement of commodities from one country to a neighboring country, and is usually measured in terms of magnitude (e.g., metric tons) and direction (from country A to country B).

Cross Price Elasticity of Demand

See Elasticity of Demand

The relationship between two commodities which can be substituted for one another (see also to elasticity of demand).

Deficit Areas

Areas that either do not produce or produce an insufficient amount of a given commodity to meet local demand (derived or final demand).

Demand Curve

The relationship between the price of a commodity and the quantity that buyers are willing or able to buy, with all other things being equal. For most commodities, there is an inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded: a rise in price is associated with a decline in quantity demanded.

Derived Demand

Demand for a commodity to be used as an input to another productive activity (e.g., the demand for maize as feed for poultry production).

Destination

The country where goods were ultimately delivered.

Dynamic Analysis of Margins

Analysis of changes in marketing margins over time.

Economies of Scale (EOS)

The reduction in costs of producing an extra unit of output. Usually related to the minimum efficient level of output at which a firm can produce efficiently relative to market size

Effective Demand

The desire to buy together with the ability pay for as good or service. Those who have a desire to buy but cannot pay the price or cost are said to have limited or no effective demand.

Effective Exchange Rate (EER)

The actual rate at which one unit of foreign currency is exchanged for local currency.

Elastic Demand

A commodity for which the percentage changes in demand is proportionately greater than the percentage change in price. For example a one percent change in the price of the good or service leads to a greater than one percent change in the quantity demanded.

Elastic Supply

A commodity for which the percentage changes in supply is proportionately greater than the percentage change in price. For example a one percent change in the price of the good or service leads to a greater than one percent change in the quantity supplied.

Elasticity

Measure of a percentage change of one thing relative to a percentage change in another. For example, the price elasticity of demand is the percentage change in quantity demanded relative to the percentage change in the price.

Elasticity of Demand

The percentage change in quantity demanded relative to the percentage change in the price.

Own price elasticity: When the change in quantity demanded is related to the price of the commodity.
Cross price elasticity: When the change in quantity demanded is related to the price of another commodity.

Elasticity of Supply

The percentage change in the quantity supplied relative to a percentage change in the price of a commodity.

Exchange Efficiency

A situation in which all benefits from trade have been exhausted and it is not possible to do further exchange without reducing the happiness of another agent.

Echange Rate

The rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another.

Exchange Terms

The terms under which goods and services are exchanged in transaction.

Exclusionary Pricing

Also, Predatory pricing

Occurs when one firm lowers and maintains its price below costs until other efficient firms exit the market. Predatory ricing eliminates competition (results into monopoly power).

Expectations

What a market actor believes will occur at some point in the future, and that time frame is usually defined. For example, the price a seller believes they will receive three months in the future.

Expenditure Shares

The portion of a household’s expenditures allocated to a particular good, service or group of goods and services. This is essentially the same as budget shares.

Export Parity Price (XPP)

The monetary value of a product sold at a specific location in a foreign country, but valued from a specific location in the exporting country.

Farm Gate

At or near the farm or location of production. Usually, but not always, the place where a commodity is first exchanged. Farmers can also bring their produce to assembly, wholesale and even retail markets.

Farm Gate Price

The price that the farmer or producer receives at the farm or location of production. It is the price of the product available at the farm, excluding any marketing costs or transport and delivery charges.

Food Balance Sheet (FBS)

Presents a comprehensive picture of the pattern of a country's food supply during a specified reference period. A food balance sheet shows the sources of supply and utilization for each food item.

Food Item

Each primary commodity and a number of processed commodities potentially available for human consumption.

Food Price Index

A price index where only food items appearing in the consumer basket are included in the calculation of the index.

Foreign Exchange Premium (FXP)

The percentage that the Official Exchange Rate (OER) overvalues the local currency.

Formal Trade

Typically large quantities transported by road, rail or ship which are inspected, taxed and reported in official statistics. Formal trade is typical legal trade.

Free on Board (FOB)

The price of a commodity loaded on board a carrier at the port of exit.

Markets and Trade Terms